The student newspaper and broadcast of Cedar Park High School

The Wolfpack
Celebrating a goal, senior defender and captain William Gray poses for the camera. The team finished second in district with a 9-2-3 record. “I am, of course, very proud of this team,” Gray said. “But, we aren’t satisfied. We want to keep winning and go as far as we know we can in the playoffs.”
A Goal-don Season
March 25, 2025
The theater department performs “Titanic,” the show that gave students the opportunity to be nominated for the Heller awards. The Heller award winners will be announced April 16, 2025. And students will have the opportunity to win scholarships, with over 30 Austin schools participating and six CPHS students/groups nominated. “This community is so great,” junior Grayson Levee said. “Everyone is so accepting and supportive. It meant so much to me to have all this support from these people and it was exciting to be able to work with them.”
Charting a Course for Excellence
March 11, 2025
Taking a breath as he raises his arm up and out of the water, sophomore Kaden Padilla swims the 500 freestyle at the UIL state meet on Feb. 21-22. Padilla placed 10th overall and second in the consolation final in the event, dropping two seconds. “My family was there, so being able to drop time for them was really special,” Padilla said. “It was awesome [finding out I advanced to the consolation finals]. I wasn’t expecting it, and I was very surprised. My parents being there definitely made me a lot happier knowing they got to see me swim in finals.” Photo by Skyler King.
Making Waves
March 7, 2025
Silhouetted by the morning sunrise, a crane moves into position to continue the construction of the math hall located in the upper left wing of the building. The construction to the English hall concluded at the beginning of the first semester. AP Language and Composition and English IV teacher Kristin Burke is now teaching in her renovated classroom in the main building, and she said she enjoys the changes that were made to the English hall. “Obviously new carpet and paint has been awesome,” Burke said. “Removing the bulky cabinets and built-in desks has given us more room, and the new tables facilitate collaboration among students and give them more table space to work.” Photo courtesy of Paige hert
About Time For a Makeover
February 10, 2025
Throwing the ball, sophomore shortstop and third baseman Hudson Cuevas completes a play to first base at the scrimmage against Round Rock on Feb. 4. Installation of new turf on the fields has relocatedthe team to practicing on the grass fields and at a batting cage center off of Lakeline called D-Bat. “Our players have attacked this challenge,” Head Coach Ben Huffman said. “We’re just having to shift locations from a day to day basis. [But], the boys come out and wherever and whatever we’re doing they just try to get better every day.” Photo by Alyssa Fox
New Faces Around The Bases
February 7, 2025
Standing over the Backwash Holding Tanks, a LISD apprentice clenches onto the fire hose to clean off built-up debris. She is currently an apprentice at the Water Treatment Plant, supervised under Zeke Gil. “Our intern has been good,” Gil said. “She's come in and picked up our labs and our day to day operations pretty well. So I think [the apprenticeship] is a good thing.” Photo Courtesy of Eddie Aguilar
Building Tomorrow’s Leaders
March 27, 2025
Celebrating a goal, senior defender and captain William Gray poses for the camera. The team finished second in district with a 9-2-3 record. “I am, of course, very proud of this team,” Gray said. “But, we aren’t satisfied. We want to keep winning and go as far as we know we can in the playoffs.”
A Goal-don Season
March 25, 2025
Typing away on her computer, junior Stephanie Manoel works on an assignment for her cybersecurity class. Being involved in DECA, which requires students to take CTE course, and having taken Computer Science I in her freshman year, this was the first course Manoel considered as she already felt familiar with the environment. “I’d definitely recommend this class to anyone interested in pursuing computer science or cybersecurity,” Manoel said. “The workload is manageable, but still gives you the knowledge you need. Overall, it’s the environment that keeps me motivated to come to class every time.”
Digital Defense
March 24, 2025
Lined up along the wall, the class banners from previous graduating classes are displayed in the library. The banners will be moved to the cafeteria, but librarian Keri Burns said she enjoyed the school spirit they brought to the library. “For visitors and non-students, [the banners] are just a nice glimpse to get a little piece of what it was like at that time or what was important to them,” Burns said. “It's like a little visual time capsule.”
A Banner to Remember
March 20, 2025
Bringing her arm over her head and taking a quick breath, junior Lauren Lucas swims the final laps of the 500 freestyle at the regionals swimming competition on date. Lucas broke the school’s 18-year-old record for the 500 freestyle at regionals and again at state with a time of 4:58.63. “I’d had my eye on that 500 record since my freshman year, so I was really excited to see if I could get it at regionals or districts,” Lucas said. “ State is always a really fun experience and medaling for the first time was really great. It was a very very tight race, [so] I was a bit surprised [that I medaled]. [There were] a lot of fast girls at the meet in general, [and] it was like a dogfight back and forth, back and forth.” Photo by Kaydence Wilkinson
Breaking the Surface
March 18, 2025
Typing away on her computer, junior Stephanie Manoel works on an assignment for her cybersecurity class. Being involved in DECA, which requires students to take CTE course, and having taken Computer Science I in her freshman year, this was the first course Manoel considered as she already felt familiar with the environment. “I’d definitely recommend this class to anyone interested in pursuing computer science or cybersecurity,” Manoel said. “The workload is manageable, but still gives you the knowledge you need. Overall, it’s the environment that keeps me motivated to come to class every time.”
Digital Defense
March 24, 2025
Senior Rushil Mehta, Junior Katie Liu, Senior Ashley Blair, Senior Anabelle Staples, Senior Jen Nguyen, teacher Amy Buffington, and Senior Kim Dao smile at the camera as they anticipate the upcoming HOSA competition. These students are working together in their Mental Health Campaign, and they have made various preparations for the competition. “We did lots of outreach activities, such as a gratitude jar for students on CPHS and Christmas stockings for children who have to stay at a hospital during the holiday season,” Liu said. “We hoped that it would alleviate anxiety in youth and help brighten their day.” Photo courtesy of Payton DeAngelis
HOSA: Hands-On Healthcare
February 7, 2025
Handing out business cards and putting up fliers, juniors Natalie Le (left) and Valerie Hall (right) promote their HOSA Community Awareness campaign “Backs on Track.” Working collaboratively with juniors Avani Eckert and Morgan Tran, the group is presenting their portfolio of this project at the HOSA Spring Leadership Conference on Feb. 7. “We chose to discuss back pain and posture because we felt the more common and popular ideas were already widely highlighted and we wanted to spread awareness to something less known,” Tran said. “Because this idea can reach a wide variety of audiences, we felt this topic would be appropriate and could easily be used to spread awareness to all of the community.” Photos courtesy of Valerie Hall
The Backs on Track Project
February 6, 2025
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
Contesting in Congress
December 17, 2024
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.”
Green Eggs and Poetry
December 11, 2024
Standing over the Backwash Holding Tanks, a LISD apprentice clenches onto the fire hose to clean off built-up debris. She is currently an apprentice at the Water Treatment Plant, supervised under Zeke Gil. “Our intern has been good,” Gil said. “She's come in and picked up our labs and our day to day operations pretty well. So I think [the apprenticeship] is a good thing.” Photo Courtesy of Eddie Aguilar
Building Tomorrow’s Leaders
March 27, 2025
Lined up along the wall, the class banners from previous graduating classes are displayed in the library. The banners will be moved to the cafeteria, but librarian Keri Burns said she enjoyed the school spirit they brought to the library. “For visitors and non-students, [the banners] are just a nice glimpse to get a little piece of what it was like at that time or what was important to them,” Burns said. “It's like a little visual time capsule.”
A Banner to Remember
March 20, 2025
Bringing her arm over her head and taking a quick breath, junior Lauren Lucas swims the final laps of the 500 freestyle at the regionals swimming competition on date. Lucas broke the school’s 18-year-old record for the 500 freestyle at regionals and again at state with a time of 4:58.63. “I’d had my eye on that 500 record since my freshman year, so I was really excited to see if I could get it at regionals or districts,” Lucas said. “ State is always a really fun experience and medaling for the first time was really great. It was a very very tight race, [so] I was a bit surprised [that I medaled]. [There were] a lot of fast girls at the meet in general, [and] it was like a dogfight back and forth, back and forth.” Photo by Kaydence Wilkinson
Breaking the Surface
March 18, 2025
Striking a pose that matches their character's personality, Soundwave prepares for their annual production of Princess Tea. This year's theme is “Mulan’s Camp of Courage.” “We thought this would be a really fun theme because all of us would get to play games with each other and spread the message to the kids that winning isn’t everything,” Ferguson said. “A lot of the time just being around your friends is where the magic actually happens.”Photo courtesy of CPHS Choir.
I’ll Make a Princess Out of You
February 28, 2025
On a double date, senior Amia De Leon and senior Kimberly Walters get to know their books during the Blind Date event in the library. The Page Turners Club set up an event in which students pick books that have been wrapped and only say what genre they are, that way they can pick out a book they wouldn’t have otherwise. "I have a lot of fun in page turners,” De Leon said. “Typically, Walters helps me with our slideshows and trivia, we’re taking some of our book members to a book festival in a couple of weeks and that will be very very exciting.” Photo by Sebastian Farias.
Swipe Right
February 25, 2025
Bringing her arm over her head and taking a quick breath, junior Lauren Lucas swims the final laps of the 500 freestyle at the regionals swimming competition on date. Lucas broke the school’s 18-year-old record for the 500 freestyle at regionals and again at state with a time of 4:58.63. “I’d had my eye on that 500 record since my freshman year, so I was really excited to see if I could get it at regionals or districts,” Lucas said. “ State is always a really fun experience and medaling for the first time was really great. It was a very very tight race, [so] I was a bit surprised [that I medaled]. [There were] a lot of fast girls at the meet in general, [and] it was like a dogfight back and forth, back and forth.” Photo by Kaydence Wilkinson
Breaking the Surface
March 18, 2025
As the support team sits and poses for a photo in the cafeteria with the counseling team they eagerly wait to start their day. "We [all] seem to be a team, I get up every day and there's days where I don't want to go to work today, but I'm thankful that I have a job and I'm blessed to have what I have," Christopherson said. Photo Courtesy of Julie Weltens.
Heart of the Campus: The Fantastic Five
February 6, 2025
Officer Stephanie Cash is in her second year as an SRO at CPHS. “Seeing [students] grow over the years has been kind of cool,” Officer Cash said. “Freshmen that [are] all over the place and then in the next couple of years get a little more squared away and go to class and do work and start thinking about the future. Being a part of a student's growth is the best way to measure my success as an SRO.” Photo Courtesy of Cedar Park Police Department's PIO, Alicia Gallagher.
Securing the Future
February 4, 2025
Smiling at the camera, senior Nathan Rechtfertig reflects on how the NROTC scholarship program will affect his life in the future. Because he is a recipient of this scholarship, he will join the marines. “It means a lot [to receive this scholarship,” Rechtfertig said. “It’s very calming because a lot of the colleges I applied for are out of state which is expensive and this scholarship pays it off. And I want to serve so it gives me the ability to both go to school and then serve after.”
Nathan Rechtfertig – Future Marine
February 4, 2025
As the support team sits and poses for a photo in the cafeteria with the counseling team they eagerly wait to start their day. "We [all] seem to be a team, I get up every day and there's days where I don't want to go to work today, but I'm thankful that I have a job and I'm blessed to have what I have," Christopherson said. Photo Courtesy of Julie Weltens.
Half Dozen Heroes
January 27, 2025
Celebrating a goal, senior defender and captain William Gray poses for the camera. The team finished second in district with a 9-2-3 record. “I am, of course, very proud of this team,” Gray said. “But, we aren’t satisfied. We want to keep winning and go as far as we know we can in the playoffs.”
A Goal-don Season
March 25, 2025
Taking a breath as he raises his arm up and out of the water, sophomore Kaden Padilla swims the 500 freestyle at the UIL state meet on Feb. 21-22. Padilla placed 10th overall and second in the consolation final in the event, dropping two seconds. “My family was there, so being able to drop time for them was really special,” Padilla said. “It was awesome [finding out I advanced to the consolation finals]. I wasn’t expecting it, and I was very surprised. My parents being there definitely made me a lot happier knowing they got to see me swim in finals.” Photo by Skyler King.
Making Waves
March 7, 2025
The 5A state runner up team poses on the podium at the state tournament on Feb. 15. In addition to earning a team medal, sophomore Nathan Reilly won his second state title in the 113-weight class, senior Max Brant placed third in the 126-weight class, sophomore Jett Mentel placed 4th in the 175-weight class and senior Nathaniel Rechtfertig placed 5th in the 144-weight class at the Berry Center in Cypress, Texas. “Watching Max hit 100 wins was really memorable,” Reilly said. “Along with hitting the podium for the second time.” Photo courtesy of Richard Eckley
Victory as a Family
March 7, 2025
Three defenders try to stop senior point guard Hope Edwards before the ball leaves her hands. The girls basketball team faced Liberty Hill on Feb 21, losing 58-40. “[My season was] definitely bittersweet,” Edwards said. It's definitely sad [because] I'm gonna miss all my teammates, my coaches and just the whole CP environment.”
Final Buzzer Sounds
February 27, 2025
Posing with their trophy, the varsity cheer team takes a picture following their sixth place performance at the Universal Cheerleading Associtation’s National High School Cheerleading Competition. This was the highest the team has placed in school history. “[Breaking the record] is like more than I could ask for, so I’m really proud of them,” Head Cheer Coach Nadira King said. “It’s so exciting because now they have the confidence and they’ve had a little taste of something good. I think that will be good for our future as a program.” Photo Courtesy of CPHS Cheer
Sunshine State Stars
February 21, 2025
Opening the lid of the In-N-Out container to get a taste of their vanilla milkshake, seniors Kacey Miller and Heidi Williams review the popular fast-food chain’s sweet treat. After trying a vanilla shake from several restaurants, the two decided that the best shakes in town belong to these places, in this order: In-N-Out, Whataburger, Chick-fil-A, Sonic and McDonald’s.
Shaking It Up
March 3, 2025
“Companion” is a dark comedy ready to make you laugh, gasp and root for the non-human.
Betrayal, Love and Robots
February 28, 2025
Heart Eyes is a romantic thriller movie which released on Feb. 7 and was a great contrast to the regular horror movies in theaters. The movie was cliché and great fro a good laugh. I rank it a solid four out of five hearts and would recommended it to anyone looking for some violence and love. Graphic by Kasandra Reynoso.
Heartstrings and Horror
February 27, 2025
Presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. Copyright © Golden Globes, LLC.
Golden Globes Awards 2025
February 21, 2025
The Spin off series Mario and Luigi are RPGs that take the 2D platforming formula of Super Mario Games and turn it into a top down platformer packed with action, comedy and a huge personality. They put the Mario cast in the most bizarre locations you could imagine and do really creative things with the concept of each game. Thumbnail by Sebastian Farias.
Mario and Luigi, Superstar Review
February 6, 2025
Opening the lid of the In-N-Out container to get a taste of their vanilla milkshake, seniors Kacey Miller and Heidi Williams review the popular fast-food chain’s sweet treat. After trying a vanilla shake from several restaurants, the two decided that the best shakes in town belong to these places, in this order: In-N-Out, Whataburger, Chick-fil-A, Sonic and McDonald’s.
Shaking It Up
March 3, 2025
Heart Eyes is a romantic thriller movie which released on Feb. 7 and was a great contrast to the regular horror movies in theaters. The movie was cliché and great fro a good laugh. I rank it a solid four out of five hearts and would recommended it to anyone looking for some violence and love. Graphic by Kasandra Reynoso.
Heartstrings and Horror
February 27, 2025
From setting up appointments at the fire station to squeezing five teenagers into a wheelbarrow, my experience recreating family pictures was a wild ride. Despite the challenges we faced, we completed our goal and the end result is 12 months of cuteness and nostalgia that will proudly hang from my wall for many months to come. Photo courtesy of Kaydence Wilkinson
Calendar Chaos
January 24, 2025
The national championship will be held Jan. 20 between Ohio State and Notre Dame, concluding the first ever 12 team College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes will most likely win but expect the Irish to put up a fight. Photo courtesy of @danxoneil on Flickr through Creative Commons.
On the Comeback
January 17, 2025
If you’re dealing with difficulties such as the loss of a loved one or traumatic event, counselor Sarah Cable has provided several resources that you can use for whatever problem you’re dealing with, and I’ve written about my own experiences and have given some advice on how to deal with grief. “The counselors are the student advocates," Cable said. “Oftentimes, we know the bigger picture and advocate for our students, don’t be afraid to come talk to us and ask us questions.” Illustration by Sebastian Farias
Dealing With Grief and Loss
January 8, 2025
Opening the lid of the In-N-Out container to get a taste of their vanilla milkshake, seniors Kacey Miller and Heidi Williams review the popular fast-food chain’s sweet treat. After trying a vanilla shake from several restaurants, the two decided that the best shakes in town belong to these places, in this order: In-N-Out, Whataburger, Chick-fil-A, Sonic and McDonald’s.
Shaking It Up
March 3, 2025
“Companion” is a dark comedy ready to make you laugh, gasp and root for the non-human.
Betrayal, Love and Robots
February 28, 2025
“Mufasa: The Lion King” was released Dec. 20, 2024, telling the story of a once great ruler of Pride Rock. © Disney Entertainment
His Life Before the Kingdom
February 26, 2025
The longest car wash in the world is located at a Buc-ee’s in Katy, Texas. My family had the opportunity to visit this car wash to see if it was really as cool as people online said it was.
Everything’s Bigger in Texas
February 25, 2025
Presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. Copyright © Golden Globes, LLC.
Golden Globes Awards 2025
February 21, 2025
Spirit Slideshow
March 13, 2025
PackCast hosts, senior Rania Adil and sophomore Kasanadra Reynoso review the 2025 Golden Globes Award Show.
2025 Golden Globes Review Podcast
February 21, 2025
PackCast hosts, senior Rania Adil and sophomore Kasanadra Reynoso review the 2025 Golden Globes Award Show.
Deal With It
February 21, 2025
PackCast hosts, senior Rania Adil and sophomore Kasanadra Reynoso review the 2025 Golden Globes Award Show.
Right or Wrong?
February 6, 2025
2024-2025 Fall Recap
December 19, 2024
PackCast hosts, senior Rania Adil and sophomore Kasanadra Reynoso review the 2025 Golden Globes Award Show.
2025 Golden Globes Review Podcast
February 21, 2025
PackCast hosts, senior Rania Adil and sophomore Kasanadra Reynoso review the 2025 Golden Globes Award Show.
Deal With It
February 21, 2025
PackCast hosts, senior Rania Adil and sophomore Kasanadra Reynoso review the 2025 Golden Globes Award Show.
Right or Wrong?
February 6, 2025
Jonathan’s Corner
March 20, 2024
Graphic by Stef Rios, Wolfpack Editor '20-'21
The Packchat 2-14-2024
February 15, 2024
The student newspaper and broadcast of Cedar Park High School

The Wolfpack
The student newspaper and broadcast of Cedar Park High School

The Wolfpack
Taking a breath as he raises his arm up and out of the water, sophomore Kaden Padilla swims the 500 freestyle at the UIL state meet on Feb. 21-22. Padilla placed 10th overall and second in the consolation final in the event, dropping two seconds. “My family was there, so being able to drop time for them was really special,” Padilla said. “It was awesome [finding out I advanced to the consolation finals]. I wasn’t expecting it, and I was very surprised. My parents being there definitely made me a lot happier knowing they got to see me swim in finals.” Photo by Skyler King.

Making Waves

Skyler King, Reporter • March 7, 2025

Standing on the top of the podium, senior Ella Mongenel waits to receive her gold medal. As the medal gets draped around her neck, she poses for pictures with a broad smile on her face. She holds up a...

Taking a breath, senior Parker Huang cuts through the water while swimming the 100 breaststroke at the district meet on Jan. 23. Huang advanced to the regional meet in the 100 fly, 100 breast and 200 medley relay. “It’s been really exciting to see everyone make it [to regionals],” Huang said. “There’s been a lot more people who have been advancing than last year, so it’s really awesome to see that.” Photo by Skyler King

District Domination

Skyler King, Reporter • February 3, 2025

Standing on the side of the pool, senior Ella Mongenel waits for the sound of the whistle while breathing in the chlorine in the air. She puts her goggles on and takes off her parka. After two sharp sounds,...

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.”

Diving Into Competition Season

Kassidy Wilkinson, Reporter • November 8, 2024

The smell of chlorine hangs in the air as the swimmers stand on the diving blocks. A whistle blows and they all bend down in ready position. An official clicks a button, sounding a loud beep. The swimmers...

Senior Abigail Boyle helps sophomore Ella Mongenel out of the pool after finishing their 4x100 freestyle relay and securing their place in the final the next day. “After this picture, I ran to hug the rest of her relay team as Ella waited in the water for the rest of the girls to finish,” Boyle said. “When she got out we all hugged and celebrated together. We were exhausted but super excited for what the next day had to bring.” (Photo courtesy of Abigail Boyle)

Swimming Their Way to the Top

Ava Callaway, Reporter • April 10, 2023

For the first time, the girls swim team, as well as diver and senior Pierce Brooke, took home the gold at the state championship meet as their season came to an end in February. With head coach Les Greenwood...

From left to right, junior Mickie Koltz, senior Thomas Wu and freshman Ella Mongenel pose with their medals after competing at State. All three of the students passed the preliminary competition, with Wu earning gold for the 100-meter breaststroke and Koltz and Mongenel earning bronze for the 200-meter individual medley and 100-meter freestyle respectively. “State this year was probably the best meet experience i’ve ever had,” Wu said. “While I had won last year, the guys and girls meet was separated and there were limited spectators, and so it was definitely not as exciting. This year, though, we had a very large team go from Cedar Park, and that honestly just made everything so much more fun.”

Life in the Fast Lane

Madison Shields, Reporter • March 31, 2022

He dove into the pool and felt the cool water against their skin, knowing it was the last time seniors will swim with the rest of the team. The swim team competed for UIL state on Feb. 19 at the University...

Eyes forward and head out of water, junior Thomas Wu competes at the 5A state championships in February. Wu made it to the finals for the 100yd butterfly and 100yd breaststroke events. “Breaststroke has always been my best and favorite strokes since I started swimming, and I have spent a lot of time and effort working on it,” Wu said. “For the past year or so, I've also been trying to expand my horizons and improve my other events. For example, last year I really focused on the 100 butterfly and I improved a lot finishing fourth at the state championships.”

A “Pool” Kid

Estefani Rios, Editor-in-Chief • November 27, 2020

Jumping off the starting board, he heads straight into the chlorine infested pool water. The lack of spectators are replaced by cameras live streaming and the fastest swimmers in the nation surround him....

Senior Caroline Kessler, Coach Meghan DeWees and Mason Luna-Howell talk strategy during a tri-meet against Leander and Stony Point on Oct. 4. The team won the meet with a total point score of 302. "The best part of the meet was being able to cheer everyone else on," sophomore Marian Bouchot said.

New coach swims to CPHS

Hunter-Rose Comtois, Reporter • October 10, 2014

Splash, swim, rotate, repeat. Then Meghan DeWees' whistle blows loud to define the end of practice. DeWees is the new head swim coach this year. She’s always been into swimming and has coached at...

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The student newspaper and broadcast of Cedar Park High School
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