The student newspaper and broadcast of Cedar Park High School

The Wolfpack

The student newspaper and broadcast of Cedar Park High School

The Wolfpack

The student newspaper and broadcast of Cedar Park High School

The Wolfpack

AT&T stadium in Arlington is the next big hurdle the Longhorns need to leap over in order to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Is Texas Back?
Jonathan Levinsky, Reporter • December 1, 2023

“Longhorn Nation,...

Continue Reading
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
Elf on the Stage
Jane Yermakov, Reporter • December 1, 2023

A mix of unprecedented...

Continue Reading
The original gang goes down in cinema history, left to terrify their beloved audience for all eternity...
Cason’s Fanatical FNAF Movie Review
Cason Johnson, Reporter • November 30, 2023

If you haven’t...

Continue Reading
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.”
Where the Cool Kids Work
Jonathan Levinsky, Reporter • November 21, 2023

“Hello, how...

Continue Reading
On the Sunday after we arrive, we always take family pictures on the beach—no amount of complaining about the temperature of the sand or the angle of the sun in our eyes will convince our mom that these pictures are unnecessary. Generally, the beach is associated with warmth and sun, but Thanksgiving week can get cold and even rainy making for some long family picture sessions. But with all the practice we’ve gotten over the years, I am happy to say that I am a pro at taking jumping pictures, getting my jeans only half full of sand, and timing everything just right to get the beautiful sunset in the background. Despite all the hours we spend posing on the beach, I always really like the pictures in the end as well as the time that we get to spend together as a family.
The Sea-son to be Thankful
Kaydence Wilkinson, Reporter • November 20, 2023

Every year, starting...

Continue Reading
In his documentary released on Sept. 12 on Amazon Prime Video, Philadelphia Eagles football player Jason Kelce, shows off different aspects of  his life throughout the 2022-2023 NFL season. His brother, Travis Kelce, is the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, and defeated the Eagles during the last Super Bowl in February. The documentary gives insight on the popular Kelce family and provides some perspective on the struggles of being a professional athlete.
Big Reputation (Jason Kelce’s Version)
Penny Moreno, Reporter • November 16, 2023

This past weekend,...

Continue Reading

New student adjusts to more than a new school

     Many new students arrive at Cedar Park High School every year, but rarely do these students come from a foreign country. Jesse Vielleux, junior, moved to Cedar Park from the Middle East this summer. He is originally from the United States but moved to the Middle East eight years ago. After living in the desert for so long, his return to the United States was bittersweet.

     “Being the minority there and coming back and being around all these white people is really weird,” Vielleux said. “Americans are in their own world, like [the way] everyone only speaks one language. Over there, it’s way more culturally diverse.”

      Vielleux lived in Buraime, Oman but went across the border every day to Al Ain, United Arab Emirates for school, shopping, church and other basic living necessities.

     “Oman is a poorer country and it was a lot cheaper to live there, but UAE has an abundance of oil,” Vielleux said. “Everybody in UAE is so rich that there’s not much crime and not very many policemen; there’s just no point in stealing anything.”

     Vielleux was actually born in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1993. He moved to the Middle East when he was nine years old with his parents and two younger sisters. His dad and a couple of business partners wanted to start a water business in the humid climate there because they had created water machines that take moisture from the air and fill an empty purifier with clean water. However, the company was unsuccessful and Vielleux’s father found a job in Texas working as a water engineer.

     Since September 11, 2001, American prejudice against Arabs and anyone associated with the Middle East has become prominent. Despite being Caucasian, Vielleux has had to deal with the repercussions of this when traveling through airports.

      “We have Arab stamps on our passports, so airports sometimes do extra checks on us,” Vielleux said. “We moved a year after September 11 so it was crazy getting over there the first time. The Arabs over there do not like what happened- a lot of them say that the terrorists are not true Muslims.”

     Once he was through airport security, Vielleux had to adjust to many differences between the two countries, such as the difference in climate and the difference in education.

     “It’s really nice and cool here. It was so hot there; the temperature can get up to 130 degrees in the summer,” Vielleux said. “It’s a little humid here but the humidity is way worse in Dubai, sometimes 90 percent.”

     In regards to education, Vielleux greatly prefers American schools, due in part to Oman being about 60 years behind in technology and infrastructure.

     “School was terrible there. There’s just no reason for the kids to study or work because their dads are rich,” Vielleux said. “It was a really poor facility and there were no organized sports. [Here] the level of teaching is way higher and the schools are just way better— even the ghetto schools are probably better.”

     Vielleux is not the only one appreciating the structure of education. Kenna Vielleux, sophomore, is Jesse’s younger sister who is also noticing differences in the way schools are set up in America.

     “Over there, education isn’t as important for girls, so they didn’t care as much,” Vielleux said. “Here, the teachers are also more one-on-one.”

     The cultural diversity where Jesse used to live included a variety of ethnic foods. Coming to the United States, he happily acquired a taste for American cuisine.

     “I love the food here. I love a good steak, and proper beef. The beef there was from New Zealand and Australia and it just wasn’t as good as it is here,” Jesse said. “Taco Bell is awesome! They had McDonald’s over there and a lot of main restaurants, but even those are different, like the Coke tastes different.”

     It appears that the Vielleux family has settled into life in Texas quite well, but the obvious differences between countries will always remain. Their travels have given them a broad worldly perspective unique to culturally experienced families, making Jesse a very interesting classmate.

Story continues below advertisement
Leave a Comment

Comments (0)

Comments on The Wolfpack must be approved before posting.
All The Wolfpack Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Activate Search
The student newspaper and broadcast of Cedar Park High School
New student adjusts to more than a new school