![After placing second in their respective LDEs at the Capital District contest in early November, freshman Jesus Jaramillo-Gallegos and freshman Wyatt Pickett will compete at the Area XII LDE contest in Georgetown on Nov. 23. Jaramillo-Gallegos is competing in Greenhand Spanish Creed Speaking, while Pickett’s LDE is Greenhand Creed Speaking. “Honestly, [I’m excited for] just traveling around, maybe meeting more people,” Jaramillo-Gallegos said. “And [I’m] nervous about probably just not being able to define my weak areas. I feel like I did decent for my first time ever doing this. I just think it’s fun.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Navy-and-Yellow-Simple-Group-Project-Presentation-1200x675.png)
![Holding up T-wolves, the tour group poses for a picture in the Chinese classroom. Sophomore Lydia Ou, junior Phu Trung and senior Yushan Pan gave a tour to Taiwanese diplomat Andrea Yang on Nov. 8. “I was so excited when I heard I would get to give the tour because it’s a big deal,” Ou said. “She’s from the US embassy for Taiwan, so she’s really important. I’m so privileged [to get this opportunity] and I’m so excited.” Photo by Skyler King](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Main-Taiwan.jpg)
![Sitting at a desk past the rows of books laid out for the Book Fair, senior Kimberley Walters assists people in purchasing books and finding titles. The Book Fair is taking place Dec. 16 through Dec. 20, and is an annual event during which students and faculty have the opportunity to go and purchase books and other trinkets in the library. Kimberley said she encourages all to go to the Book Fair, even if they think they don’t like to read. “If you make reading something that is fun for you and you find the things that you like to read, it will never be a chore,” Walters said. “So [the Book Fair is] a good opportunity to find something that will respark your want to read [like] when you were a child and you went to the book fair and you loved the ‘I survived’ books. Maybe you'll find your ‘I survived’ books of your high school experience, and it'll re-spark that kind of love for reading that may have died out.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Addie-L-47-1200x800.jpg)
![Smiling at the camera, sophomore Olivia Mahlmeister and seniors Samantha Jameson, Adhit Eswaramoorthi and Justin Khadavi celebrate completing first chamber in the Congress Meet. All four students advanced to the final chamber. “Out of the 20 kids in the final chamber, we had a seventh, ninth, 11th and 13th, and they took the top four to move on to state,” AP US History and Debate teacher Josh Marsh said. “[Even though] we didn't make state this year, all four of them moving on [and] placing is phenomenal.” Photo courtesy of Josh Marsh](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-Regional-Congress-Team.jpg)
![Standing in front of a small audience, senior Kimberley Walters shares a social criticism poem titled “Pity the Nation” by Lawrence Felinghetti. Every month, sponsored by the poetry club, the library hosts a poetry reading. “I never thought I would be interested in [poetry readings] because I’m not the biggest poetry fan,” Walters said. “I think poetry is a very succinct way to express feelings and get a story across. Whereas lots of books have a span of a whole story, but it’s put in a lot of words. The power of poetry is that you can be so succinct within, and there’s a lot of power within the words that are used.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KIM-1200x800.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)
![Holding the Grand Nationals trophies, drum majors Helashi Wijayawardhana, Abigail Pettey and Eddy Kim pose for a photo. The BOA Grand Nationals competition took place in Indianapolis on Nov. 14-17. “My favorite thing was just looking back at the field, and I was like, ‘Oh, crap. I know all of their names, I know who all of them are’,” Wijayawardahana said. “It's just insane to me that I was able to make so many connections. [Being a drum major] taught me how to build relationships with people who I’m not really that similar to, and how to juggle a ton of things all together.”
Photo courtesy of CPHS Band SmugMug](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/AJC.GrandNatsFinals-169-1200x801.jpg)
![Delicately placing the string to form the shape of a cornucopia, seniors Haley Burton and Avery Nelson create the November arrangement for the Flower of the Month Club. This club is led by Advanced Floral Design Students and provides a monthly arrangement to community members who subscribe to receive them. “I think flower of the month club is a really impactful way to show your loved ones ‘hey I really care about you,’ or even if they’re just for yourself, they’re a little pick-me-up throughout the month that [say] ‘I’m doing ok, and these flowers make my day a little bit brighter,” Nelson said. “I like giving people flowers because people value the flowers more and they value themselves more.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ava-Holmes-3-edit.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)
![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)
![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)
Running Red, White and Blue
Cross Country Runners Share Thoughts About Running on 9/11, Future Endeavors
Pushing for the finish, senior and Varsity member Gareth Hopwood finishes his race at the XC Country Meet. Hopwood finished fourth with a time of 16:03, and was one of the members who ran on 9/11. “It was a cool experience to run on 9/11 with the significance of that day.” Hopwood said. “It didn’t feel too different from other races but the singing of the national anthem and the red, white, and blue course flags made an impact on me.”
September 27, 2021
The usually silent morning air was filled with cheers as the XC runners pushed for the last stretch of their runs during the 22nd Annual Cross Country Meet, placing Top 5 out of the ranked 10.
Starting at 7:15 in the morning, the XC Meet took place on Sept. 11th and hosted over 30 schools from across the state. As Sept. 11th is an important date for many people and families, the effects of Sept. 11th are still felt to this day. Cross Country Team Coach, Chance Edwards, shared his thoughts about his mixed feelings about coaching his team on that day.
“For me specifically every September 11th hits very hard,” Edwards said. “ I was a senior in high school when it happened. And, you know everyone recalls that time from their location, what they were doing at the time, you know I can recall mine. We had a big flag up [during the meet], we had everybody saluting, and the choir was nice enough to come out there and do a nice job singing.”
Isabel Conde de Frankenberg, a sophomore and member of the Cross Country Team since her freshman year, expressed her pride and modesty while reflecting on what it felt like running on 9/11.
“I felt like it was just an honor,” Conde de Frankenberg said. “To just be running and representing our country, I felt proud doing it.”
Not only did she dominate the High School Division 1, she also set a new course record, achieving 17 minutes and 31 seconds. With a large 1 minute gap around separating her and second place, Conde de Frankenberg shares her happiness and passion for running.
“I felt really good about the win, and I was really excited to run,” Conde de Frankenberg said. “I’m super passionate about running and maybe I can get a scholarship with it. I accomplished winning state cross country for the 5k and winning state track for the 2 mile race. I am very proud of these accomplishments because I work hard for them!”
During her freshman year, Conde de Frankenberg also racked up many accomplishments, winning the State Cross Country for the 5k Run and winning the state track for the two mile race. These feats, as she puts it, were due to her dedication and the support from her team.
“I run every single day, 6 and sometimes 7 days a week,” Conde de Frankenberg said. “Around three of those days, I have to run morning and afternoon. I spent all summer preparing and with an amazing team and support group. I couldn’t have done anything without their support.”
Despite her intensive training schedule and commitment to running, Conde de Frankenberg opened up about her pre-competition jitters.
“I get nervous before every race,” Conde de Frankenberg said. “But I mostly get excited because I know I prepared a lot during summer. I’m more excited than nervous when I run.
Gareth Hopwood, a senior and member of the Varsity Cross Country Team since his sophomore year, was another runner who won in the Boys Division, placing fourth in the HS Division 1 Boys.
“I’m happy with the results of the race,” Hopwood said. “Placing fourth with a time of 16:03, though I wish I could have made the top three. I can probably improve on sticking with the lead pack in order to place well in the future.”
Not only did he place fourth during the meet, he also has been consistently running with the Varsity team since his sophomore year. He has also been on a district championship team during the past three years of his high school career.
“I had the opportunity to run varsity all year my sophomore year and have been on varsity since then,” Hopwood said. “ I have also been on a district championship team my freshman, sophomore, and junior year and hopefully will continue the streak this year. I also have qualified for the state meet since my sophomore year with the rest of my team.”
Although the XC Meet was done, another competition was already on the list. One of the fastest meets in the nation, the XC meet was scheduled for Sept. 18th in California, which was the biggest meet in the nation.
“Coming up this weekend, we are invited to the biggest, fastest meet in the nation and in Norco California,” Edwards said. “It should be pretty spectacular, the boys are in the sweepstakes race which is the fastest race and the girls will be in the Varsity B race.”
Sept. 11th was a very important day that impacted everyone in different ways, whether it was the runners or the coaches. Despite their own nervousness and pre-competition jitters, all the athletes put their best foot forward when they ran at the XC meet. A new record was set, the teams were proud of their results, and they’re looking forward to new and exciting events.
“Still a lot of really good performances,” Edwards said. “The boys had a really good team score and ran really well with as a group. Also, lot of PRs, it was a really good day for us.”
