![Walking through the tunnel created by the cheerleaders and Celebrities, senior Frances Tran smiles as the soccer team is sent off during DEN for their playoff game against Rouse tonight. Tran said the wins against Smithson Valley and Alamo Heights gave the team a morale boost to take on the Raiders tonight. “I know we were not 100% confident in those games,” Tran said. “But, Rouse is a big opponent for sure. We’re definitely going into tonight with a lot of morale [because of the previous wins].”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/frances-tran.jpg)
![Holding a bucket of materials in one hand and a roll of tape in another, anatomy and biology teacher Tyler Terry prepares for a lab. Terry said his proudest moments are when his students are happy to see him. “When I take my wife to a football game or something and a bunch of students want to say hi to me or they like to smile and wave and it just makes me feel good that the students are really kind and supportive of me,” Terry said. “[I’m also] proud when I see students perform really well in their extracurriculars because I can see how hard they’re working in my classes, [so] when I see that they’re also working so hard in other things. Like they’re winning band competitions or they’re getting awards for their theater productions, or I see them put on their choir shows, that’s like, wow, you guys are incredible.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rags-6.png)
![Catching a ball, junior Alivia Robinson plays at the Cedar Park vs Glenn game. Having played since she was 5 years old, she is dedicated to softball and has committed to UTPB for softball. “When I got my offer it took me a very long time to decide where,” Robinson said. “Softball has always been my dream for college, and UTPB is my fit. When [I committed] I knew I was going to be loved and supported.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Lilly-Adams-3.13aliviaedit-901.jpg)
![Holding her dog, Nova, senior Ariana Balakrishnan poses for her senior pictures while Nova wears a bandana with her college decision. Balakrishnan applied to 18 colleges in total, but she decided on Columbia in the end. “Right before I clicked the button to open Columbia’s letter, I literally looked at the camera and go ‘This is just gonna really suck because I wanted it so bad,’ and I clicked it and all of a sudden you hear trumpets,” Balakrishnan said. “There’s a video that plays when you open it and I actually didn’t watch the video, I just watched the screen go black, because every day of December before ED [Early Decision] I would go on YouTube and watch the acceptance video to manifest it, so immediately when the screen went black, I started screaming and jumping up and down. And my parents in the video are like ‘What are you doing, where’s the letter,’ and I was just screaming ‘I got in, I got in.” I just started crying, and it just felt like everything in the world came together.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ariana-2-300x217.jpg)
SARAH NATION
If I could offer you one piece of advice, Mean Girls would be it. While at first it made me realize how evil high school can really be, I found after seeing it 16 times that high school doesn’t have to be evil. It can be the best years of your life, if you make it that way. Here are some things to avoid, brought to you by African Goddess, Cady Heron (pronounced Katie).
Appreciate teachers who push you.
Be yourself. Just because Cady Heron is wearing army pants and flip-flops, doesn’t mean you have to wear army pants and flip flops.
Avoid boys who ask you, “Is your muffin buttered?”
Don’t subject yourself to the “popular crowd” just because you’re a “regulation hottie.”
Don’t make out with hot dogs, even if it’s only “like one time.”
Even though a lot of people deserve to be shoved in front of a big yellow bus, control yourself. It’s just as satisfying to imagine it.
Take into consideration that most people you take interest in don’t enjoy being puked upon. So steer clear of situations in which that might occur.
Savor the friends who let you know when you look stupid.
Lastly, don’t be a mean girl or associate with mean girls.
I’ve made a lot of mistakes in high school, ruined a lot of friendships and said a lot of mean things, but through it all, if I could pick one thing I’ve truly learned and understood about high school, it’s that you can’t control anything but yourself. You can’t control what anybody says about you, who likes you, or what they think about you. But what you can control is the way you treat yourself and the way you interact with other people. The moment that you understand that, will be the moment your life changes. But what do I know? I just really liked the movie.
