![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)
During the school day on April 8, the Total Solar Eclipse will pass over the school at approximately 1:30 p.m. In effort to properly educate the student body on the eclipse, AP Physics and Seminar teacher Christopher Voss invited Baylor Professor and Department head of Astronomy Dr. Barbara Endl, PHD to give a presentation about the eclipse during DEN on March 21.
“Astronomy is arguably one of the most fundamental sciences because we can not set the perimentors when we do an experiment,” Endl said. “You can set things apart in a lab, but we cannot do that with planets; they are just in the universe and we have to try to understand it, which is what makes the eclipse so unique and interesting.”
Endl gave a presentation about the science behind the eclipse and included interactive activities that gave visual representations of how the solar system works. Endl also explained the safety precautions students should follow to remain safe during the solar eclipse.
“Make sure you have the proper protection for the eyes,” Endl said. “In terms of other safety measures, if you are going to go somewhere, be prepared. For example, pack water and snacks. The travel on the way back can be very complicated because everybody goes at the same time, when the sun is out of the eclipse, everyone leaves at the same time, so there have been lots of traffic jams in the past.”
Endl stressed the importance of wearing the proper eyewear as the sun’s rays will permanently burn retina’s in the back of the eye. However, during totality you can remove the eclipse glasses and view with the naked eye.
“I’m intrigued by being able to see other planets,” freshman Gustov Mt. Joy said. “When I heard you might be able to see like Jupiter, and you can look without the glasses during totality, I thought that was crazy.”
Band is taking advantage of this opportunity for their trip to BOA Grand Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana on Nov. 14 by selling solar eclipse glasses to earn money.
“[Selling eclipse glasses] is going to help us pay for a lot of our stuff on our road to Grand National,” assistant band director Kendall Santos said. “It’s a really expensive trip. We take pretty much the whole neighborhood to Indiana and it costs a lot of money to move a lot of people and a lot of equipment, so any money we can raise from the fundraiser will be beneficial for the band.”
The glasses were available in the link on the weekly newsletter sent to families as well sold at Birdie Fest at Spare Birdie last Saturday. The glasses will also be available at the Crossover on April 6 before prom.
“The glasses are pretty awesome,” Santos said. “It’s got the Timberwolf on it. It’s nothing specific to band. We wanted to keep it generic for the whole high school, so you can get it, it just happens to support the band program.”
The district will be operating on a modified schedule to ensure students and teachers have the opportunity to see the eclipse when it reaches totality. Although one of the few school districts in school the day of the eclipse, Endl said it is an opportunity for students to apply what they learn in the classroom to a real world experience.
“People say ‘when am I ever going to use the science that I learned at school?” right,” Endl said. “So, this is an opportunity to use the science you learned at school like Biology, Zoology, of course Astronomy, there is lots of Physics behind it as well. Also, it’s an opportunity to teach the students and to learn and connect all the dots that day.”
