![Musical theatre class runs through “Footloose” during their dress rehearsal. Senior student director Mia Morneault says how much she’s enjoyed working with the cast and crew. “I am very proud of all the cast and crew who worked as hard on it as I have. A lot of people care about [this show],” Morneault said. “I have a lot of friends on the cast and on the crew, but I’ve also grown and gained friendships through the show, even as director where I may be a little more stricter than normal. And I am very grateful for everyone I’ve gotten to work with.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC_0657-1200x800.jpg)
![Sitting in a line of artwork, senior art student Kaemon Kato’s painting titled “Right Side of History” is displayed for attendees of the district’s art showcase. Kato’s painting is a political piece inspired by a photo of elementary schoolers in the street protesting against ICE. “I think it's also symbolic because they're surrounded by snow, which can represent ICE, and they are still marching,” Kato said. “[The kids] are not stopping until equality or justice is served, which I think is really important to represent and show.” Photo by John Pinion](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-03-26-114740.png)
![Broadcast, yearbook and newspaper combined for 66 Interscholastic League Press Conference awards this year. Yearbook won 43, newspaper won 14 and broadcast took home nine. “I think [the ILPC awards] are a great way to give the kids some acknowledgement for all of their hard work,” newspaper and yearbook adviser Paige Hert said. “They typically spend the year covering everyone else’s big moments, so it’s really cool for them to be celebrated so many times and in so many different ways.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/edited-ILPC.jpg)
![Holding up the bi-district champions trophy, junior shortstop Hudson Cuevas cheers alongside his team. The varsity baseball team played in the bi-district round of playoffs against the Boerne Greyhounds April 30-May 2, where they won Game 1 6-4, lost Game 2 2-1 and won the last game 5-2, allowing them to advance to area. “Honestly, [my favorite] big moment that wasn't even part of my moment was Dom's grand slam,” Cuevas said. “That was a big game changer in Game 1 of round one that ultimately helped us win that game and even move on. It set the tone for the games after and has really impacted and sparked this whole playoff run.” Photo by Allie Tseng](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/allie-boerne00159-1200x800.jpg)
![After he takes the handoff, senior running back Trae Hill runs down the field in search of a first down. Hill rushed for three touchdowns in the 43-36 loss against Frisco Wakeland last Friday, but the Timberwolves were eliminated from playoff contention. “[I’m] just happy I got to experience the game with my brothers,” Hill said. “I’m going to remember how close and how enjoyable everything was with these guys. They are my brothers for life. Just waking up and grinding together, and proving the naysayers wrong [was my favorite part].”
Photo by Kyra Cox](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/trae-hill-wakeland.jpg)
![Walking around the conference, families and various organizations collaborate to share adult life transition resources. Over 500 people attended the event with 70 volunteers making up the event staff. “I hope that the districts continue to value [the conference] and recognize how much we help all of the families in our area,” Geiger said. “Maybe someday there's gonna be 125 or 150 tables out there because these people are learning from each other and maybe they're thinking, ‘Wow, I could start a business that helps support students having yoga experience, or I could be a Boy Scout leader and have a troop full of students with neurodiversity.’ Who knows? But we're here to share all those resources and ensure that this community just stays informed.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-26-114740.png)
On March 7, over ten school districts, including Leander ISD, held the annual Destination Life Transition Conference. Held at McNeil High School, the conference focused on helping families prepare their students with disabilities for life after high school.
“[The conference is] all about disability-related resources so that we can help parents navigate with their students to understand the choices and be informed as they age into adulthood,” Leander ISD Senior Transition Counselor Deniese Geiger said. “As transition coordinators or specialists in our district, we joined together, and we want parents to really understand what is out there and to really remember there is hope in this journey.”
Geiger has been involved with the conference since 2001 and said that the conference has gone from three districts coming together with 20 exhibit tables to 12 districts with over 90 exhibit tables and many speaker panels.
“One of my favorite sessions and the one that I lead is on our former students who are now adults,” Geiger said. We had such a good turnout for people to come and listen to what [the speakers] did to get to the life that they wanted to create for themselves.”
The panel, made up of local college aged students with disabilities, gave insight into their personal experiences with transitioning into secondary education and adulthood.
“I think it’s very important to emphasize that everybody’s journey is different,” former student Grace Bartoli said. “The things that are gonna help each person are gonna be different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. The resources that one person needs might be totally separate from the ones that someone else needs whether they have the same diagnosis or not.”
According to Geiger, even though most parents start bringing their students around middle and high school most should start bringing their students at elementary age instead. This allows for the parents to find resources that can support them up to graduation and beyond.
“Some of these families have students with very complex needs and it’s going to be a journey over time for us,” Geiger said. “Connecting students with agencies, support and to give them ideas on how you can fill a week with purpose and dignity, sometimes that’s the greatest gift.”
The best way to help the conference according to Geiger is to contact her or one of the other organizers through the group’s Facebook or email to find a position. Donations, volunteers and promotion are all needed to help the event run and to maximize the support that can be given to families.
“It is so critical for all of us that do this work to let the families know that we do see hope and we see possibilities, but we have to join with them in this journey, and we need them to be as informed as possible,” Geiger said. “Just saying it in a meeting that there’s these resources falls flat until you can come and meet the people. [Families need to] see it, recognize it, dig into it and recognize they have choices and involve their child, because having them come makes all the difference.”
