![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)
![Students drew chalk art in honor of Veterans day. This is just one of many things the school does to show appreciation to veterans, and the art will remain in the courtyard as a reminder of all of the veterans who served their country. “On veteran’s day, I think it’s a great thing we do at school to honor people that served [who are] at our school or family members,” English teacher and cheer coach Nadira King said. “It makes me feel proud, and it makes me remember the [veterans].”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Capture.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)
![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)
![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)
Austin Celtic Festival Review
From Archery to Giant Turkey Legs, Festival Makes For Great Time
My friends and I attended this year’s Celtic festival to celebrate my 18th birthday. Although I am over 70 percent Celtic, my friends have little to no Celtic background. Despite this they were still able to enjoy the vibrant culture and community at the Festival!
November 15, 2018
On Nov. 3 and 4, people from all over Austin gathered at Pioneer Farms to celebrate the annual Austin Celtic Festival. Dressed in Scottish kilts, Irish moccasins and the robes of the Vikings, people of Celtic heritage joined at this quaint farm to observe the festivities. People from all walks of life came to enjoy the crisp fall air and lively environment, and this year I accompanied some of my friends to the festival. Here are my favorite parts of the festival that you can surely look forward to when next year’s Celtic festival rolls around.
The Viking Invasion-
The Viking invasion occurs in a small field decorated with tents and men and women adorned in traditional Viking robes. If you enjoy learning about history, or you enjoy sword fighting, this event is for you. Around every half hour, the “Vikings” come out of their tents to demonstrate traditional Viking battle tactics and sword fighting techniques. Do not try to converse with them, however, because their tough and hard-headed character does not break.
Archery-
One section of the farm is dedicated entirely to archery. For only five dollars, you can learn to shoot 10 arrows at animal-shaped targets and live out your dreams of being Merida from Brave. First, you get a lesson on safety and are taught which bow would be best for your height and weight. A trained arching professional helps you with your form and technique, and if you ask nicely, they will show off a bit of their incredible skill. The targets vary in distance, so your success in archery depends on how much you challenge yourself (yes, I hit the target and was compared many times to Merida).
Celtic Dog Parade-
I know it sounds amazing, but seeing it in person is even cooler. Border collies, Irish wolfhounds and Scottish terriers walked around the entire farm in an incredible parade. In addition to seeing some cute animals, most dogs in the parades are rescues, so donations made towards the parade go to organizations that aid rescue dogs in finding good homes. The owners and breeders of the dogs are very friendly, so they will undoubtedly let you pet and play with their dogs.
The Food-
Many people have not had the opportunity to taste traditional Celtic foods. Bangers and mash are available to try, but there is also everything you could ask for on a stick. Chicken on a stick, corn dogs and even giant turkey legs. Desserts include miniature pancakes, fried Oreo’s and homemade ice cream. If you happen to attend the festival next year, I highly recommend trying their regular or strawberry lemonades that are freshly squeezed with an entire lemon in the cup.
Overall, the Celtic festival is a really fun experience for anyone. I personally have a lot of Celtic blood running, but non-Celtic history buffs, sports lovers or foodies can also find something to enjoy at this festival. Throughout the farm grounds, there are also small shopping tents and handmade collectibles to commemorate your experience at the festival. If you can make the short 25-minute drive to the Austin Celtic Festival, I highly recommend coming out next year and embracing the vibrant Celtic culture.
![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-300x201.jpg)
