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

Jaden Kolenbrander

Jaden Kolenbrander, Editor

Jaden is a senior and this is his third year on staff. While his main activity is writing and posting articles for the newspaper team, he also participates in UIL Academics and the English and Social Studies Honor Societies. He likes to write stories that delve into the topic beyond a surface level, whether it be a club, school event or a book or movie he's reviewing. He plans to enroll and major in political science or government with a graduate degree in law. Outside of school, he enjoys listening to music of all genres, riding his bike, sleeping and playing (and eventually quitting) video games.

All content by Jaden Kolenbrander
The van of We Are Blood, the primary blood donation organization in the Austin area, sits outside the school. According to senior and HOSA officer Jennifer Pham, the blood drive required coordinating with We Are Blood and the school. “Planning the blood drive required many months of planning and lots of communication with the company We Are Blood and the school,” Pham said. “For us to have a successful blood drive, there were lots of requirements that we had to meet. We had to have a certain amount of donors to even be considered.”

Out For Blood

Jaden Kolenbrander, Editor
April 13, 2023
Members of the Mandarin Club assemble dumplings at their Dumpling Social. The social, which occurred in October, is one of the clubs monthly special events, which all try to offer them the opportunity to engage in a special aspect of Chinese culture. “I’m interested in learning more about Chinese culture and Taiwanese culture in general, so it helps me see more into it,” senior Natalia Sanchez-Mejorado said. “[My favorite event] would definitely be the dumplings. We did it step-by-step, basically, and it turned out really good, and we also hung out, with the [club member’s mom] teaching us a few words.” (Photo Courtesy of Eden Yu)

Mastering Mandarin

Jaden Kolenbrander, Editor
December 13, 2022
During the Nov. 11 ceremony, school nurse Tara Jo Frost recites the names of military veterans who have ties to the school as faculty members, former students or family of faculty members. According to Frost, the Veterans Day ceremony gives students an opportunity to recognize the importance of honoring the troops. I think that we dont have the ability to see the people that have fought for our country and know their stories, and [the ceremony] gives a chance for a younger population to see the importance, and see the reverence for why we do certain things we do for our government, Frost said.

Supporting the Troops

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
November 12, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ukcqOMgfwuw
Sophomore Emma Weltens browses her BeReal feed during lunch. Weltens said that she appreciates how BeReal focuses on its users posting in-the-moment photos. “I think it’s a good app, it’s less about seeing them with their friends as it is about what they’re doing in their life,” Weltens said. “If you’re not doing anything [and post on BeReal], people reach out like ‘hey, wanna hang out?’ That doesn’t really happen on Instagram.”

Being Real

Jaden Kolenbrander, Editor
October 12, 2022
Senior and captain of the swim team Kamryn Kramer swims a lap at the first swim meet on Thursday. Amid the new experiences of leading the team and having a new swim coach with Les Greenwood, Kramer says she most enjoys the social aspect of swim. “Everyone’s best friends, Kramer said. I’m a captain of the swim team, and I love being a leader where everyone’s friends and being goofy and silly with them at the meets too. The [competitive aspect of] meets are really fun, getting up for each other.” (Photo Courtesy of Sonya Cookson)

Dive In With Both Feet

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
September 29, 2022
Senior Jackson Streit poses for a photo at Duke University while attending its student orientation. Streit is in the class of 26 for Duke University and intends to pursue a major in public policy with the end goal of becoming a lawyer helping foster children. “I want to be a lawyer, and public policy is a great opening into that. What those kids go through is very tragic, and there’s no clearer path for me than to do what I can to right that. Duke is obviously renowned for its education, but I think what sets it apart in my opinion from other higher-end schools is that it also has this culture of teamwork. Duke’s sports are very well known there, and other Ivy Leagues don’t quite have that same culture.  I’m not just paying for education, but for the kind of growth that I can get as a person from being in that sort of ecosystem.”

Marching Ahead

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
May 13, 2022
Senior and varsity tennis athlete Ganesh Sadasivan prepares to hit an incoming tennis ball. Sadasivan placed second and advanced to Region UIL in the boys double category at District with senior and varsity tennis athlete Jay Kannam. “Our prior tournament, which was [at the Kemah Boardwalk in Houston], was a pretty tough one and we managed to win that,” Sadasivan said. “So we definitely had a lot of confidence going into District.”

Court Battle

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
April 26, 2022
A picture of junior and Honorable Mention winner Delaney Deruiter’s piece “The Sea of Faith.” Deruiter said that anyone who participates in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition will benefit from having their work judged. “Even if you dont receive an award, just competing in art events can help you make connections and learn more from similar aspiring artists.”

Creative Vision

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
March 7, 2022
Juniors Abigail Martinez, Jack Polishook and Katie Whitmarsh report for a new episode of the Wolfcast. Being an anchor and seeing the show be produced everyday has taught me a lot, Martinez said. I enjoy being able to share the stories of CPHS to the community and representing the Wolfcast. It is important for my co-anchors and myself that we give the student body facts and unbiased opinions while also keeping the show entertaining.

Behind the Scenes

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
February 14, 2022
UIL Academics teams pose for a group photo four days after the Jan. 15 Burnet Invitational. Senior and captain of the UIL Journalism team Tristan Hernandez, who got first in editorial writing, third in headline writing and fourth in news and feature writing, said that the practice he’s acquired through invitationals and past UIL competitions has improved his writing almost as much as his time in journalism. “I decided to compete in UIL Journalism because I liked the format of the article prompts and wanted to improve further on my writing. While its possible in school, the timed format of UIL Journalism competitions makes you think quickly on your feet and really get your writing fundamentals down.”

A Match of Wits

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
January 27, 2022
“King Richard,” the new biographical film about Richard Williams, is an interesting and entertaining dive into the man who coached future tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams through watching instructional videos about the sport. Portrayed throughout the movie are his strengths, weaknesses and quirks which enabled him to coach his daughters while living in the streets of early 1990s Compton, California. This film is easily one of 2021’s highlights, and anyone looking for an inspirational tennis story about the bond of family should check it out.

Raising Success

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
December 16, 2021
Executive Editor and senior Brynn Clare designs an advertisement for the Timberwolf Agency. Clare took on the role of Executive Editor, the highest leadership position in the Timberwolf Agency, to have a more active role in the class. I didnt know about the leadership positions beforehand, but I thought that being able to work a little closer with everyone else sounded fun, Clare said. Besides, I plan to major in a graphic-design related field and the experience will be nice to have.

Image is Everything

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
November 15, 2021
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the Build Back Better Bill are two parts of Biden’s Build Back Better plan to recover the American economy. Both of them provide well-needed funding to recover from the COVID-19 recession. However, the difference between the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the Build Back Better Bill’s legislative processes opens up interesting questions about the need for bipartisanship in dire economic times like these.

Cooperation or Conflict

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
November 11, 2021
Watching the Board of Trustee’s presentation, parents and teachers listen about the upcoming bond proposal and vote being held on Nov. 2. This vote will include the key issue of how LISD plans to fund their $772 million funding plan with bonds. “Bond dollars are not part of the district’s budget,” President of the Board of Trustees Trish Bode said. “Additionally, bond dollars are not subject to recapture, a state law where LISD receives less money in state aid for every additional dollar in local tax collections. Bond dollars are $1 for $1 investment in our district; the state doesn’t remove aid based on collections for debt service.

Bonding Session

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
October 7, 2021
Junior and Mobile App Development student Dominic Caruso works on a project in class. Caruso was one of many Mobile Makers and Mobile App Development students who saw Cody Shilts presentation and praised the usefulness of the more technical aspects of Shilts presentation as well as the class in general. It really helped us create what we needed to do by showing us how to put functions on a simulated app, Caruso said. In general, this is a very interesting class, and I love the idea of developing my own app, and it has sparked the idea of turning this into a career.

Secrets of the Trade

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
September 17, 2021
Sitting in the cafeteria, masked juniors eat lunch together. Schoolwide, students like junior Yash Shah are in full support of the mask mandate as a necessary measure against the COVID-19 pandemic. Masks are CDC-approved equipment that amount to a simple piece of cloth on your face, so I think people should at least wear them, Shah said.

Stopping the Spread

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
September 10, 2021
Next year, sophomore Ryan Green is planning to start a geography club that both geography amateurs and experts can enjoy. The geography club is a worthwhile time for anyone who’s willing to participate. The more people that join, the more fun everyone will have discussing and researching geography together.

Around The World

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
May 27, 2021
Student Councils full list of 2021 - 2022 officers. Junior Riley Pritzlaff, previously the junior class president, will be promoted to student body president. As student body president, I will do everything in my power to make Cedar Park High School the best that it can be, Pritzlaff said. However, a culture is not defined by one person. Ask yourself what you want Cedar Park to be.”

In With the New

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
May 26, 2021
Senior Aidan Brown has played the saxophone since the beginning of middle school. He plans to continue his music career at UT Austin, where he is majoring in Music Performance. In fifth grade, we had to make a choice on our instruments for middle school band, Brown said. Since then, practicing the saxophone and perfecting my craft has been my primary motivation.

The Cooler Sax

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
May 12, 2021
A sample essay prompt for the English II STAAR exam is shown. English Teacher Lauren Madrid said believes that her students are prepared to take the exam. I will give my students all the material they need to succeed - grammar assessments, opportunities to read essays from the past, poetry analysis and more, Madrid said. To me, it’s realistic that some of my classes can all score above 80, even if the district isn’t graded by results this year.”

STAAR-Gazing

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
April 21, 2021
The CPHS campus covered in snow. On Feb. 14, Leander School District called classes off for a period that lasted over a week as students and teachers suffered power outages. The water supply to my house was cut off for two days, sophomore Caleb Taylor said. Power came back on the midnight of Feb. 16.

The Big Freeze

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
March 4, 2021
Polishook reports for the CPHS WolfPack. Broadcast is one of the sophomores many interests. “I took Broadcast just because its a career choice that Im interested in, whether that be reporting, journalism or operating a camera, Polishook said.

Finding Yourself

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
December 3, 2020
Sophomore Kai Gray rehearses drumline show music while keeping in line with quarantine measures. Gray, and the rest of the percussion section, came back on Aug. 24. “Once we’re together playing music, I don’t really pay attention to the masks or distancing, and things feel pretty normal,” Gray said.

A Long March Ahead

Jaden Kolenbrander, Reporter
September 25, 2020
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The student newspaper and broadcast of Cedar Park High School
Jaden Kolenbrander