![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)
![After winning the Bi-District match against Smithson Valley, the varsity tennis team poses for a team picture. The team finished second overall in district, became Area Champions and advanced to the Regional Quarterfinals. “I’m just reminiscing and trying to hold onto all these matches [we’re playing] in the fall because fall season is always my favorite,” senior Gaby Coutts said. “The fall season is just primarily a team sport, so we’re all together at all times, which is what I love about tennis. I love being with my teammates, so I’m definitely holding onto all the memories we’re making, and I’m just really proud of everything we’ve been able to accomplish together.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/tennis.jpg)
The tension hangs thick in the air as the whole team sits on the benches nervously. Legs bouncing, nails and lips being chewed on, but no one is as nervous as the one on the court. The one who determines the cheers or the tears, the one whose match hangs in the balance of a win or a loss. It’s all on the line, and with a quick breath and swing of the racket, they knew it was time to deliver the win.
For the 12th year in a row, the varsity tennis team has made playoffs. With a win against Southwest Legacy High School, the team advanced to the Regional Quarterfinals Monday.
“Personally, this is the best season I’ve ever had in my whole high school career,” senior Julie Richter said. “I think this is the furthest I’ve ever gone in the playoffs. We’ve only made it to Bi-District the past three years, so we’re doing really well. We’ve just been growing and learning as a team and for me it’s really cool to see people younger than me love the sport that I do and grow with me.”
The team finished second in district after a loss against Leander in district finals. Despite the loss, senior Gaby Coutts said the team was still excited for the chance at a playoff run.
“[It] was really heartbreaking [losing to Leander], and there was a lot of emotion going on the court,” Coutts said. “Even though we didn’t win district champs, I’m still really proud of us for moving on to playoffs. It’s a super big deal, I’m really proud of us for that.”
Before facing Leander for the district title, the team played Liberty Hill in the semi-final match. Both Coutts and Richter said it was a big match for the team due to the fact they fell 9-10 to the Panthers earlier in the season. Junior Ethan Nyugen played the final match of the night, which determined if the team advanced or not.
“I was really nervous,” Nyugen said. “I was cramping up and everyone was just watching me. [But] my coach was there, and that really helped me [during the match]. He was just there helping me go through this, and my team was also cheering me on too, which was really nice.”
The fall season, or sometimes referred to as team season, primarily involves team matches, meaning the players participate in both singles and doubles matches. Richter said the fall season allows players to prepare for the individuality the spring season brings on.
“Getting ready in the fall, it gets you ready for supporting yourself in the spring,” Richter said. “We all get split up at different sights. You could be the only person at your sight on your team, and you just have to mentally get through it. Team season really prepares you to be there for yourself, and it gets you ready skill wise as well.”
For Nyugen, he said he feels the fall season has brought improvement on the court, as well as off the court.
“Fundamentally my whole game has improved,” Nyugen said. “I feel like I’ve gotten so much ground on the court. Just my intelligence on the court has gotten better. This season [has also] really helped me build teamwork with other people and really showed me what I need to work on as a teammate myself with stuff like communication.”
The team is currently practicing to figure out the best lineup for the next match. Coutts said as important as the lineup is, the most important preparation is the mental prep before a match.
“We really have to mentally prepare ourselves, because I feel like 90% of tennis is the mental side,” Coutts said. “You have to be so mentally strong out on the court, and no matter how many points you lose, no matter how down you are, you still have to keep fighting and keep trying. Even if the player is a match point against you. You just have to keep the energy high and just mentally prepare yourself for any circumstance that could possibly happen.”
The team will face Alamo Heights on Monday in a must-win match in order to advance to Regional Semifinals.
“I’m just reminiscing and trying to hold onto all these matches [we’re playing] in the fall because fall season is always my favorite,” Coutts said. “The fall season is just primarily a team sport, we’re all together at all times, which is what I love about tennis. I love being with my teammates so I’m definitely holding onto all the memories we’re making, and I’m just really proud of everything we’ve been able to accomplish together.”
