![The cross country team poses for the camera after finishing the district meet. The varsity boys, JV boys and JV girls all placed third and the varsity girls placed fourth. “Coach put in the right training for us for this season, so I think we will be peaking this week and the next couple of weeks,” varsity runner and junior Nathan Kukla said. “The chances of making it to state are very high, but we don’t settle for the lowest and there is always going to be that chance, so [we] race for the best.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Heidi-831-1200x900.jpg)
![Sucking in a breath of air, freshman Lily Pope competes in the 200 yard individual medley. On Oct. 25, the swim team competed in the AISD Swim Invitational. Overall, the girls team took second place and the boys team came in eleventh. “My favorite stroke is butterfly because I do the best in that stroke,” Pope said. “I feel like [butterfly] can test how [your ability] to convince yourself to keep going. The hardest part of swimming is convincing yourself to stay strong and keep pushing during a hard race [when] everything is tired.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/POPE-1200x804.jpg)
![Smiling at the camera, Author Ehigbor Okosun, members of Page Turners, and other students reflect on the author's visit. “I thought the visit was great,” Senior Amia De Leon said. “It was interesting talking to her and [getting to know] her process and her thoughts and books in general. But I think the reason it went well [was that] people got to ask questions. I'm glad that she said so much in response to the questions and it wasn't just one and done. [The author’s responses] felt very articulate.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Sebastian-5-1200x800.jpg)
![Standing in front of the field at a freshman football game, cheerleader freshman Jacob Gaudreau along with teammate freshman Bella Gibson pose for a photo during halftime of game. “[Cheer has] definitely given me a much more outgoing personality,” Gaudreau said. “I used to be very introverted, so it's definitely made me more extroverted towards people.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Ingrid-204-1200x800.jpg)
![Holding a wooden pizza toy, senior Taylor Peterson plays with small children in Bucaramanga, Colombia. During the summer, Peterson traveled to Colombia to help build an elementary school that only had two classrooms but five or six grades with one teacher. “We add[ed] two more classrooms,” Peterson said. “It’s kind of hard when you have two or three grades in one classroom and you only have one teacher. It’s very hard to actually get some beneficial learning. [The extra classrooms will give the students] a better quality of education because they’ll actually have a place specific for their learning.” Photo by Taylor Peterson](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Taylor-P.png)
![Swinging with his arm extended, senior Nolan Park hits the ball smoothly over the net and to the opponent’s side. Park is one of four varsity tennis captains and helped the team win district championships. “Winning district champs was a pretty awesome feeling,” Park said. “We had lost to Liberty Hill a couple of weeks before, but when we played them [again], we came out and really took care of business. We took them out and it was just a really awesome night.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kassidy-419.jpg)
![Standing proud, varsity senior athletes Rafael Escobar, Griffin Jacobs, Jakob Martin, and juniors Jackson Springer and Jack Morris pose with their newly earned medals. The varsity team finished third out of 14 teams on Sept. 25. “The team's primary goal is to win the district championship,” head coach Cody Price said. "We're confident that with our action plan in place, we can accomplish this mission. [For the next tournament], our preparation involves assessing our strengths and weaknesses, celebrating milestones and creating individual development plans." Photo courtesy of Cody Price](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/golf.jpg)
Leander City Council names Gabriel and Serna Fields of Bledsoe Park
May 28, 2015
In recognition of APUSH teacher Jayne Serna’s late husband Gabriel Serna, Leander City Council has named the athletic fields in Robin Bledsoe the “Gabriel and Jayne Serna Fields.” The two founded the Leander Youth Soccer League in 2003 and both donated time and money into the soccer programs for the children of Leander. Jayne Serna accepts the dedicated fields and thinks they are a great homage to her husband.
“[The fields] definitely serve as a living tribute to Gabriel’s memory and spirit,” Serna said. “It is very humbling as well when you are publicly recognized for something that you did simply because you saw a need and wanted to fill it. It was bittersweet as well because my husband was a humble person who never sought recognition.”
The fields also serve as a reminder of her and her husband’s volunteer soccer work.
“My husband Gabriel and I started Leander Youth Soccer over a decade ago with a grant to serve players who could not afford to play with the larger, more expensive clubs,” Serna said. “The city and the parks department appreciate that we are truly non-profit, serve both boys and girls, and that we have volunteered a large number of hours to develop and support the players and parents.”
While the fields are typically bare, goals are set up for games so they more closely resemble a sporting area.
“The fields are the grassy part of Bledsoe Park–essentially the outfield of the softball diamonds,” Serna said. “We put the goals up on the weekends, so it looks much more like a soccer park then. It is an amazing blessing to see them full on the weekends during soccer season and know that you played a small part in something that so many families value and enjoy.”
Gabriel Serna now has a permanent landmark to his name, but he also has his place in Jayne Serna’s heart.
“This has been a very difficult year, but students and colleagues have been very supportive and kind,” Serna said. “It is harder than I ever imagined or could describe, but I think that God will guide me through this tremendous loss and sadness. I have been very blessed by many people in the process, though, and have not lost sight of that.”
