After a hiatus of more than a year, the S Word, the Shield’s flagship podcast, is back with first-time host Beatrix Lozach interviewing senior mascot Ben Polega about school spirit, the power of storytelling, and his experience with congenital cerebral palsy. Polega shared his journey from AV Club to hyping up the crowd at football games, and shared how he overcomes adversity in his daily life. Polega became the mascot during his junior year after his AV Club teacher, Mr. Rogers, retired. While Polega has dealt with a number of health challenges during his two years as the mascot, he’s continued to advocate for optimism and the greater integration of disabled students into the McCallum community. Polega plans to attend Austin Community College, and though his time as the mascot will end soon, he hopes to coach future McCallum mascots. To listen to this episode and all episodes of all our podcasts, click the link in our bio or visit our website, macshieldonline.com, and click on the p...