MyDSHSNews October 2017

October/2017

MYDSHSNEWS @MyDSHSNews

HARVEY

@My_DSHS_News

Aftermath and impact on us here in Dripping Springs.

Pages 8 & 9

IN THIS ISSUE: Must Know: Column: Red Cross Page 4

Sports:

Profile: Injuries Affect Football Page 15

Creative:

Lifestyle: School Life Hacks Page 13

Team Tennis Page 14

@MyDSHSSnaps

news

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Benefit Concert: Critical Mass Tessa Stigler Staff Writer

The Dripping Springs High School’s Critical Mass club is organizing a benefit concert at Hudson’s on Mercer on October 14. The concert performers will be a blend of students as well as a few adults from the Dripping Springs community.

“The concert is going to benefit the organization Portlight which helps people with disabilities who are affected by natural disasters like hurricane Harvey and Irma,” club president senior Riley Ruchti said.

Several of the performers are lending their voices to the cause because of personal relations with hurricane victims.

“I actually have cousins who live in Houston,”

sophomore Eliana Glenn said. “Their house is damaged, and it’s important to me because I have other family members there that didn’t get the storm very badly, and it’s hard to see and think about how people got it way worse than them and lost their houses forever.”

Many members of Critical Mass were affected by Harvey which is what inspired them to create the benefit concert in the first place.

“I have friends that live in Houston and I’m very concerned for their well-being,” club member sophomore Katie Haberman said.

There is an estimated 8 billion cubic yards of

Sycamore Springs Dedication Tessa Stigler

Staff Writer The brand new Sycamore Springs school,” SSMS staff member Misty school opened early this August, Maxwell said. “Now we have lots serving as the fourth elementary of opportunities where kids can school and second middle school in actually interact with each other.” the Dripping Springs Independent Middle school students can School District. now also volunteer to help out “I feel like it’s the perfect size for the younger elementary students all of us,” student Hannah Games with their homework and other said. activities in the shared CLI space.

The new school has been praised “There are so many students for its open and modern design that volunteer on the elementary compared to the older elementary side,” SSE staff member Jennifer Sprague said. and middle school models.

Sycamore Springs first opened “The other school is like a barracks compared to this school,” their doors to the public on September 21 for an open house parent Lee Dixon said.

The middle and elementary and a chance for parents and schools operate separately, but students to meet the teachers they do share some buildings and and students, as well as tour the facilities together on the 50 acres school itself.

“All of the teachers are really that they are built on.

“The CLI is completely different nice,” student Ainsley Ballard from the middle school in that said, “and overall it’s a good we share it with the elementary school.”

garbage left in and around the Houston area since Harvey hit, and Critical Mass is hoping to bring attention to the crisis through the benefit concert.

“It’s important because people need help and this is a great way to support them,” club publicist sophomore Allie Haberman said.

Hurricane Harvey has devastated multiple families and left 30,000 people homeless in Houston alone.

“I felt very helpless,” Ruchti said. “I was very upset that we were just sitting in school and not doing anything, just going about our day.”

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Cross Country goes to Corpus Kyndal Miethke Contributing Writer

On Friday, Sept. 22, the cross country team left for Corpus Christi for the annual A&M Corpus Christi Islander Splash Invitational to run and experience some team building.

“Cross country doesn’t have a lot of glory. There is no Friday night lights or fame or recognition,” Head Coach Marisa Tuzzi said. “[The trip] was a time to reflect on why we do it and it was a bonding experience.

I think it creates a feeling where the kids want to

compete for something bigger than themselves. It brings the team aspect into a somewhat individual sport. Getting to see their personalities outside of practice and competition is fun. You get a peek into who they are outside of an athlete.”

Coach Tuzzi stressed that this trip had an importance of family, getting to know the team better, and knowing that when things are tough, there will always be people around you for help and support.

“I made a lot of new friends,” freshman JV runner Caroline Gamble said. “I think we just got closer and bonded a lot. I got to know Caroline Russey [freshman varsity runner] a lot better by hanging out. The people in my room, I hadn’t really hung out with so I got to know them better, and coming

up with lipsync dance was fun.”

Every year, the evening after the race, the team plays beach olympics and has a lip sync battle. Each group of people pre-plans costumes and keeps them on to compete.

“I got to learn more about people,” junior and varsity runner Thomas Babiak said. “In beach olympics, [the coaches] would pair us up with a random group and during that time, I really got to see who they were as people and they kind of grew on me.”

The team competed in games such as tug-o-war, wheelbarrow races, and balloon tackle.

“Every year, [beach olympics] gets more and more interesting with the activities the coaches introduce to the kids,” Babiak said. “It was funny to see my teammates dressed up as Scooby Doo characters, especially the guys who dressed up as girls. That was really funny.”

Most of the cross country team attended this trip and even some families tagged along to experience and be a part of the atmosphere. “[The trip] makes everyone closer, and it’s team bonding,” senior JV runner Lightsey Puryear said. “I wouldn’t change anything. It was a good way to end senior year in cross country. I’m going to miss it.”

Photos by Robbie Lopez

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504 Plans More Common Cadence Russell

Contributing Writer The number of 504 plan holding students needing accomodations at Dripping Spring High School is growing rapidly because of the awareness about the plan.

“The number of 504 plans we see on campus increase almost daily it seems, especially with the diagnosis of students with ADD or ADHD,” Retta Ary, head counselor, said.

This may be due to the growing lack of stigma around learning and mental disabilities. Before, many students went undiagnosed due to lack of pzrental knowledge in certain areas surrounding the subject.

“I don’t think as many people knew about the 504 plan, and now that it’s been established for some time, parents are more comfortable with it and have a better understanding,” Casey Gore, counselor, said.

The 504 plan was brought into effect as a result of interpreting Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, after it had been used for anti-discrimination in the workplace.

It laid mostly unnoticed until parents actively started seeking out help for their children with disabilities.

“Actually it was never meant for schools, but it has morphed into the school system,” Ary said.

504 modifies and helps students to excel in school. It may be quiet spaces for tests and projects, computers for essay testing, or prolonged due dates.

“So now you have students who may have a defined disability who may qualify under 504 or Special Education Services. The difference between the two is that the government will fund us for Special Education Services,” Principal Joe Burns said.

That means all the funding for 504 comes from the school budget. And with the ever growing student population that holds a 504 plan, the school is becoming strained with materials and making sure that no student falls through the cracks unnoticed.

“What I hope for in the future is that there would be more specific funding for students under 504,” Burns said. “I think that’s the biggest weakness in the 504 plan.”

Opinion

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WANT TO VOICE YOUR OPINION? >> Visit myDSHS.com/category/contribute to submit your writing.

To Block, or Not to Block Mrs. Satin, Library Q: What do you think of the block schedule?

A: I like it because it gives kids more time to work and get it done. It also gives kids more time to work on homework.

Q: What do you think of A lunch and B lunch?

I think it could be a bit more balanced. A lunch is always very crowded and B lunch always has a lot of extra tables.

Kerry Peslak Q: What do you think about block schedule?

A: I do and don’t like it.

I like the extra day for homework but not the possibility of having all core classes in one day.

Q: What do you think about A and B lunch?

A: I don’t like it because all my friends have different lunches than me.

-Riordan Tiller

Why you shouldn’t donate to the Red Cross Grayson Ruiz

Opinion & Lifestyle Editor In the midst of many natural disasters that have recently affected Texas, Florida, and just recently the Caribbean, we as a nation are fortunate enough to be provided with relief efforts and drives for the people in need. However, how could you know which company to donate your money or your clothes to? They all seem like a trustworthy, reliable place to donate your things to those affected.

Especially the Red Cross, a company with one of the biggest donation rates in America.

In 2010, Haiti was struck with an earthquake that killed “100,000 to 316,000” people according to Slate News. The Red Cross immediately started the donation ads, campaigns, and even enlisted the help of Barack Obama to endorse their efforts at the time.

Through this, the company made a total of $488 million dollars that they claimed would go to the relief effort for Haiti. Red Cross took its 9 percent administrative pay cut, but the truth is, the organization didn’t even need that much money. Slack News writes that an ARC spokeswoman told the author of the article that “there’s only so much money that can be forced through the emergency phase”.

Forced? Emergency money should not be forced in any way. It should be provided, free of charge. Even though the Red Cross does not

aid in medical operations, they still could’ve given more supplies, such as blankets and tents, to the people who lost their homes.

Slate News also reports that the Red Cross showed up “unequipped and unprepared” to the 2015 California wildfire incident, where they failed to provide food or shelter.

The truth is, the Red Cross has always been vague about what they put their money towards. They make around $2.6 billion per year, and yet issue the bare minimum of supplies and other volunteer work.

Fortunately, there are other organizations who are guaranteed to put your money or items in the right place.

Global Giving is a trustworthy corporation where you can donate any amount of money to the Hurricane Harvey relief fund. Other corporations include the CDC Foundation, Direct Relief, and Feeding America to name a few.

There are always other organizations out there who are ready and willing to put your money into a worthy cause- and not just to pay their employees or CEO. Before you help out, always do your research. Find out what companies donate a large portion of their funds to help out in the proper way. That could save money or material items from being wasted in the long run.

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Does No Really Mean No in Today’s Society?

Veronica Lopez and Grayson Ruiz

Conrtibuting Writer and Opinion & Lifestyle Editor “No means no.” You would think it’s as simple as that - our society respecting one another and our personal boundaries. As many start to leave home and go off on their own, especially to college, there is an issue that still swirls around in news headlines today. Sexual assault is still relevant and common today, which is a terribly unfortunate circumstance in America. But what many don’t realize is that there are many more layers to consent and rape than society knows. Rape is not getting the attention it needs in the media, and the constant negativity to these cases fails to give assurance to other victims to come forward and report their case, and as a result, scares them away.

According to a recent article from Buzzfeed, Megan Rondini was an honors college student at the University of Alabama and would frequently give her friends rides to and from parties when they were intoxicated and unable to drive themselves. Megan

found herself in the same situation in July 2015, when a man known as “Sweet T” offered her a ride home.

She agreed, but later said she “couldn’t remember how she ended up in Sweet T’s home”, and when he led her to the bedroom, she didn’t want to have sex with him. When her case was being investigated, the first question that the cops asked her was, “Well, what were you wearing?” Which, sadly and also frustratingly, is the question that is most commonly asked in cases like these. They also asked her if it was consensual. She exclaimed that it wasn’t, but Sweet T, also known as T.J. Bunn, insisted that it was. Bunn also explained the girl was “troubled” and since Alabama has an archaic rape law, “Victims must prove they earnestly resisted their attackers” by kicking them, hitting them, or fighting back, and Megan had not done so.

Consent is something that has to be given verbally.

The victim of rape is not at fault for what happened

to her. And sadly in this case, the police made it seem like it was her fault that she was raped. Megan soon dropped the charges against Bunn and decided to attend counseling at the university. However, the counselor knew Bunn personally, so she couldn’t help her. Megan and her family “decided it was no longer safe to stay in Tuscaloosa,” so Megan withdrew from the university. She ended up committing suicide.

Verbal consent is a tricky subject. In many cases, there has been a debate of when someone is knowingly able to give verbal consent. It brings up the question: Can a person give full and knowing consent while intoxicated? How can one know that they want to have sex with a person if they won’t even be able to remember what they were wearing that day? It is very easy to persuade someone while under the influence. In movies, it’s troubling that when a man wants to pick up a woman, they result to offering her a drink or getting her drunk. Either a man or a woman should have the respect to back away if one is not able to give full consent. Many would say it’s common sense.

Another thing that is overlooked is that rape can go both ways. At Pasadena City College on April 7, a male was raped by another male in the university’s locker room, according to ABC7 News.

Rape needs to be talked about. It’s a topic that people NEED to be educated on. It can happen to any gender, at any time or place. With many students heading to college, this topic is important more than ever. Some things to think about are to always travel with friends and make sure that one of your friends has made it known that they will be the designated driver for the time if there will be alcohol or drugs present. Stay aware of your surroundings and if you don’t feel comfortable or feel uneasy about the area you are in, leave immediately.

Even though rape is too relevant in our headlines today, we still have hope for our generation to raise and spread awareness. It all starts with spreading the word, knowing the warning signs, and being completely aware. Through this, our society can rise above and put sexual assault to rest once and for all.

entertainment

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ALL THE LATEST ENTERTAINMENT NEWS >> Visit myDSHS.com/category/entertainment.

ACL Festival

LineUp

Jade Berry News and Entertainment Editor

Austin isn’t called the Live Music Capital of the World for nothing, and this year’s musical lineup at the annual ACL Festival is a testament to that title. With headlining acts from Foster the People, Chance the Rapper, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jay-Z, and Gorillaz, ACL is sure to be as entertaining as ever.

Food

Transportation ACL is such a big festival, so it’s extremely important to plan out your transportation before the actual festival rolls around. If you don’t feel like calling up an Uber, research the different public transportation systems or see if there are any available shuttles heading your way. To make things a little easier for you, ACL has opened a third entrance to the festival; now you can enter the festival from the Barton Springs East Entrance, the Barton Springs West Entrance, or the Lady Bird Lake Entrance.

For all of you food junkies out there, Austin is the place to try out new and exciting foods with all of its food trucks and endless restaurant options. Normally festivals stick with local vendors, so if you’re dying to see the show coming up in five minutes but you have a serious case of the munchies, you can easily stop at one of the stands and get yourself some tacos, BBQ, smoothies, etc.

Q&A Lauren Sanders, 9

Q: What diversity do you invite into your life?

A: “By living in the United States I deal with different kinds of people on a daily basis whether it be different religion, different race, or simply different views of the world in general am in a very diverse setting by just being where I live.

Q: Why is having diverse culture important to you?

Q: How do you feel modern music influences teenage culture?

A: “Modern music is a reflection of what an age and a population is going through at a certain period of time. It’s simply what issues are relevant and what’s appealing to the kids’ perspectives at this day and age.”

A: “Culture is the celebration of the type of people and their various types of culture and existence. One cannot appreciate one’s own culture if everyone else held the same one; we celebrate culture because it’s what makes us unique as people.”

Q: How has music helped you through your teenage years so far?

A: “Music is simply a reflection of what I’m feeling and going through during a time period.

When I’m alive and breathing in air and things are happening to me I will always turn to music. music is just simply there when I’m feeling something because it’s an expression of myself that I constantly need.

The music I listen to is a reflection of who I think I am.”

-Samantha Moore

LIFESTYLE

Surviving High School 4 Life Hacks to Save Your Grades

Clara Comparan, Online Editor 1. Give Yourself Studying Incentives

Place your favorite candy or snack at the end of each page on your textbook or go get a manicure

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SocialShoutout Allie Garrett @_alliegarrett_

when you’re done studying. Use something you love to motivate yourself to finish homework or projects that might otherwise get put off.

2. Use a Planner

Forgetting about a deadline is the worst. Prevent that from happening by using a planner. This will not only remind you when things are due but it will also help you hold yourself accountable for the work. Writing out assignments makes them seem more real and important, which can help motivate you to do them.

3. Bring a Water Bottle to School

Humans are approximately 60 percent water, meaning you can’t function as well if you’re

dehydrated. Not only will drinking more water make you healthier in the long run, it will help you stay focused in school!

4. Dress Nicely

While it can be tempting to wear a t-shirt and shorts every day, dressing up actually affects your grades. When you know you look nice, it can actually improve your test scores by making you more confident. The saying “dress well, test well” is actually accurate in many cases.

5. Chew Gum

Grab some of your your favorite flavored gum while you’re studying and then pull out a piece when you’re about to take the exam. Doing this will help you remeber some of what you studied. However, make sure you actually study! Reading over notes once a few hors before the test.

Follow @my_dshs_news on Instagram for up to date news and sneak peaks at next month’s paper!

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FEATURES

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WANT MORE FEATURES? >> Visit myDSHS.com/category/features for additional coverage.

Drying up Dripping Springs

While Dripping Springs was not at the eye of Hurricane Harvey, they did not come out completely dry. Over the two day period of the storm, there was reported to be roughly 4.5 inches of rainfall collected. On top of this, the hill country was subject to some cloudy weather, lots of wind, and on again, off again showers.

Quite a few neighborhoods in the area had their power go out, along with fences going down and multiple trees fully uprooted.

Compared to the nightmare that was happening down the coast, they were able to get through it with relative ease.

This led to southern hospitality getting to shine through, as people all over the community got together to help those in need both in the area and down the coast. There was a Saturday intensive with Helping Hands Austin, multiple supply drives through the DSISD schools, and many more projects on the side.

The city of Dripping Springs and the high school went above and beyond what was asked of them and took the initiative to help out as much as they could.

“When I saw the first bits of footage from after Hurricane

Giselle Galletti Feature Editor

Harvey, I noticed how much of a change it had made to the places that it had hit,” junior Amber Cahill, aquatic science student, said. “It was insane to me how much power that storm had. I mean, it showed up on the scale for earthquakes. I wanted to know how in the heck the world or ocean was capable of creating something like that.”

Learning thus happens when this kind of curiosity strikes.

While everything returns back to normal after the thorough soaking and flooding, students are becoming more interested in what caused the hurricane and how they can better understand the aquatic world around them.

Back on Sept. 26, the APES and aquatic science students went on a field trip to Barton Springs Pool in Austin to attend the 2017 Barton Springs University. There they learned about how the different parts of the aquatic ecosystems work together to create the lakes, rivers, and oceans.

“I think the key word that we in aquatic science and APES focus on is the watershed,” Nicole Watts, aquatic science teacher, Photos courtesy of Steven Tedjamulia

said. “Hurricane Harvey picked up all that water from the gulf and brought it onto land, and then all the flooding happened and all the pollution and all of the wastewater treatment facilities [were overrun], like four of them in Houston overflowed. [Now] you have all these pollutants in the water and then what happens when all the water recedes? So, not only are we worried about all of the humans and all of the life that live around that, but also the rain water starts in Houston or higher and flows down into a river [to go other places]. How are all of those communities affected?”

As the school year continues to progress, the students will take this knowledge and use it to help them understand how these forces of nature, such as Hurricane Harvey, come to be. So if and when it happens again, they will be even more prepared. Until then, the people of Dripping Springs will continue to help with the recovery efforts, and educate those around them.

Photo courtesy of Ms. Biel

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Hurricane Harvey’s Helping Hands Katie Haberman On the morning of August 2, the DSHS front lobby turned victim to flooding.

More precisely, a flood of donated supplies for the school’s Hurricane Harvey relief effort. Piles of toiletries, trash bags, diapers, and nonperishables overflowed to reach the doors, almost blocking students’ paths while simultaneously showcasing the amount of support Dripping Springs gave to those in need.

“I thought it was just a great way to get our school more involved,” senior Mia Haraguchi, NHS president, said.

“I know everyone had it on their minds and were looking for a way to kind of help out, but no one really had an outlet for that.”

In terms of organization and effort, the Student Council and NHS concurrently played a pivotal role in donation efforts. Aside from setting up supply drives at each of the district’s schools, there were also spare change drives at each location, and a community supply drive were also put into place by these clubs. “[I was] outside collecting all the donations from the community and the parents that brought them in, and we would sort them and put them into the trailers,” senior Will Whitfield, Student Council Vice President, said.

“Also, we all worked with Student Council, planning what we’re going to do with those donations and what we needed to have donated as well.”

For some, helping with relief hit close to home. Due to the proximity of Hurricane Harvey, many relatives and friends of students were bound to get caught in the storm.

“A lot of people at this school, including myself, have family in the Houston area or along the coast,” senior Emily Barefield, NHS member, said. “That makes the relief effort more personal.”

Staff Writer

In addition to NHS and Student Council, clubs and organizations like the swim team, golf team, band council, and varsity and JV cheerleaders made a hefty impact with Harvey relief.

Business, Spanish, and aquatic science classes also contributed significantly.

“I helped collect donations from a couple of the sports teams, like softball and baseball,” Barefield said. ”I also collected extra cash at the football game.”

Within the span of five days, four trailers full of supplies and $13,700 were collected throughout Dripping Springs. Even in such a short amount of time, students united the community in an effort to make a difference, and doing so in an extremely efficient manner.

“We donated it to the Austin Disaster Relief Network,” Haraguchi said. “We had one organization we were thinking of, and we were just trying to get a more organized effort.”

Hurricane Harvey hit hard, destroying houses, cars, and even the lives people built for themselves. With almost nothing left, many coastal and Houston-area civilians will accept any extra help they can get in result of the great losses they suffered. If the chance to help bypassed some, donations can still be directed to organizations like the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, the United Way of Greater Houston flood relief fund, the L.G.B.T.Q. Disaster Relief Fund, and the Houston Food Bank.

“I think the main goal was just to get everybody to come together as a community, and help everybody else that was struggling,” Whitfield said, “[those] that have lost everything.”

Photos by Tracy Staats

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Critical Mass Wants a Mass of Tampons

FEATURES

Katie Haberman Staff Writer

Periods double as taboo. Female students hide feminine products in pockets and bras, fearing judgment from their peers while denormalizing a natural process for women. Others run to the bathrooms hoping for a reprieve, but upon arrival don’t gain the luxury of a free tampon or pad.

The Critical Mass club plans to change these problems. Starting in the 2017 fall semester, board members intend to fully integrate a program that implements free feminine products throughout the campus while simultaneously spreading the word about commonplace menstruation.

“A lot of times, it [funding] is in the budget, but if not, a lot of local women organizations, and we already have a law firm who’s talking to us who’s run by mostly women who are interested in donating money or donating products in general,” senior Gillian Bynum, Critical Mass board member, said. “It actually is looking pretty 100% right now. We’ve got a few fundings lined up, but it looks like it’s going to go through.”

Efforts to get this project up-and-running started earlier in the Spring semester with Bynum and senior Riley Ruchti, two students prepared to work during the school year and over the summer to make a difference.

“What a lot of people don’t realize is that here in developed nations like America, still a lot of girls don’t have access, and because of that a lot of girls have to miss school while they’re on their periods, so it really hinders their education,” Bynum said. “So by providing tampons and pads, we can really open up that access to education and make girls feel more comfortable when they’re on their periods.”

Due to the shame surrounding talk of periods, many students find it difficult to talk to their peers about their own experiences with their monthly cycle and other “girl stuff”.

“Honestly, I don’t like talking about it because of the stigma, but having this [free feminine products] I think would help with me, because I’m part of the problem, and people like me need to realize that it’s not a bad thing, and you can talk about it,” sophomore Allie Haberman, Critical Mass member, said. “I don’t like talking about it, but I think people should be able to.”

On the other hand, the willingness to talk that some girls have gets stifled by the same fear that causes others to keep their mouths shut.

“I think that people should be able to talk about periods more openly, because I do it anyway and it’s kind of awkward because no one else joins in on that, and I think people should feel more comfortable with talking about it,” sophomore Haley Jackson said. “I think that if we just start talking about it more, if you can get with people in a conversation and have it not be awkward, then those other people will have conversations with other people and it’ll spread, and everybody will feel more comfortable with themselves.”

Aside from the implementation of feminine product dispensers in bathrooms, the Critical Mass also plans to spread the word through clothing designs in an effort to erase fear of periods.

“If we made shirts, it could just help a girl out,” sophomore Eliana Glenn, Critical Mass member, said. “Like here, have a pad.”

Students agree that the activism and promotion should stay within the student body, however, as including staff members and other adults into the mix might have the opposite of the intended effect.

“I think anything that a school does will make it worse,” Jackson said. “If they did that thing Eliana said, like get a powerpoint and talk about it, that’ll make it even more awkward and worse.”

The Critical Mass stands for change, and that starts with all women accepting themselves and one another, menstrual cycles and all.

“It’s so hard for me not to use strong words in it, but I read a post last night where it talks about how menstruation and the blood for menstruation is the only blood that is not born of violence, but we are the most disgusted by it,” Bynum said. “And that really opened it up to me how it’s just really rude and sexist about how women should be fearful and disgusted by their own bodies when, really, it’s a natural process, and it’s what helps us give life.”

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Everyone Gets a Retreat Rigley Willis Staff Writer

In the past weeks, Dripping Springs High School has decided to take a day away from academic classes for underclassman retreats on campus for the first time ever. The students played games like volleyball and kickball in between serious conversations with administrators.

“The day was honestly pretty simple.

We played a lot of sports, talked about dress-code and drug use, and how we can better the school,” sophomore Riley Wheaton, class president, said.

Drug abuse was one of the larger and more focused on topics, and the administers had several stations set up around the campus to talk to the students about the effect of drugs both physically and mentally.

“We had a couple serious talks about drugs,” sophomore Scotty Crosby, varsity football player, said. “And it goes to show how important is it to stay away from that stuff; it could really [alter] our paths in life.”

Many influential people showed up to the retreats to help the student body better understand how the risks they may take in life may never pan out well.

“Seeing Dr. Lewis, Officer Cumberland, and a former drug addict there really helped to show how the actions we make today will directly influence our lives down the road,” sophomore Zach Tjelmeland, junior varsity quarterback, said.

The retreats were taken various ways by students: some students thought the

retreat was a good idea and thought highly of it while others believed that the time could’ve been used more efficiently.

“I think that we should have focused more on getting to know other students and possibly our administrators because communication is what truly matters most in life,” junior West Weichert, basketball player, said.

Regardless, the retreats provided a learning environment for everyone as many life skills were acquired throughout the day.

“I learned to have an open mind, and that it’s actually fun to interact with people you’ve never met before,” sophomore Molly Akers, varsity swimmer, said.

High school may be one of the more difficult and tedious things a person could go through in life; that’s why these retreats were conceived - to benefit each student’s experience.

“School’s been pretty rough lately, and my retreat day was perfect because I got to relax and play some games with some of my friends,” sophomore Claire Sahs, golf team memeber, said.

Through the retreats, students learned several valuable attributes including righteousness, teamwork, and control while they basked in the time away from the classroom with their friends.

“All in all, it was a great experience,” Wheaton said, “and I hope we will do more retreats in the [coming] years.”

Photo by Will Nix

Photo by Nathan Chaffin

Photo by Xavier Scarrow

Photo by Nathan Chaffin

Photo by Will Nix

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CREATIVE

WANT TO TELL A STORY? >> Visit myDSHS.com/category/contribute to submit your creative writing.

Poetry

Gilbert Rasmussen It’s coming It can’t be stopped Waves crash into a cliff The cancer spreads inland The distorted corruption grows Seafoam bleeds into rock Bits of the inferno blaze underwater Smoke and flame become one The wilderness falls into disarray The distorted corruption grows The earth is awkwardly fused with itself Explosions erupt over the conglomerate of the planet The sun watches through clouds It observes as it’s friend is taken by chaos The distorted corruption has grown

Roses

Samantha Moore The pedal fell from the rose And the wind brushed it away Never to be seen again At least not today The rose lost another pedal Then one more Until it had only a few left And the wind blew away another four And the damage was done The last pedal held on for dear life But eventually it too fell Cut by nature’s knife The rose lost its pretty pink color And crumpled into a mess of black That rose was gone, torn down by wind Never to come back

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Halloween Crossword

Sponsored By Dr. Thompson Orthodontics DOWN

6 Skeleton 7 Witch 8 Clown 9 Vampire 10 Mummy 11 Frankenstein

Cartoons by Jade Howe

1. They had No Body to dance with at the party!

2. Most of them live in Howlywood, California.

4. It’s bad luck to be followed by one if you’re a mouse!

5. Their favorite Halloween treat is Ice Scream!

6. He didn’t have the guts to cross the road.

8. Sharks don’t eat them because they taste funny.

9. It’s a pain in the neck to be around them.

Answers:

3. Only go to sleep when they are dead tired.

4. Vampires like baseball because every night they turn into this!

7. Spelling is her favorite subject.

10. Their favorite kind of music is Wrap.

11. He sits in his chair but upright.

1 Ghost 2 Werewolf 3 Zombie 4 Bat 5 Banshee

ACROSS

SPORTS

14 MYDSHSNEWS

October, 2017

WANT MORE SPORTS? >> Visit myDSHS.com/category/sports for all the latest coverage.

Tiger Tennis:

Revamped and Ready for Success Rigley WIllis Staff Writer

Tiger tennis is back in motion as the Tigers recently defeated Eastview 10-0 leading into a 9-3 overall record and a 4-0 district record. The Dripping Springs tennis team had a successful run last year as they made it all the way to the regional final game before falling to Alamo Heights in a nail-biter.

The Tigers are now hungry for revenge and are looking ahead towards a potential monumental season.

“We were really good last year, but this year we’re going to focus on the mistakes we made last year and make sure they don’t happen again,” sophomore and junior varsity player Julia Bourguignon said.

If the mistakes are fixed, then the big thing that will allow the team to succeed in games is simply experience.

“We have several great individual players which has given us a very deep line; this will ll definitely be

a key component in getting the team to state,” senior varsity captain Shanle Longmire-Monford said.

The team is building this chemistry day by day, and it shows in how the players tend to socialize with each other outside of school.

“Having friends on the tennis team is so helpful because it helps us all feel so much more comfortable to make mistakes and learn from them,” Bourguignon said.

Tennis is a tricky sport and managing it may seem difficult but head coach Brad Whittlesey sees no problem with supporting his players.

“I love the challenge of having to piece a team together, and it’s great to see the competitive matches in practices within players who are trying to get that gameday spot,” Whittlesey said. “Stuff like that is what makes teams special.”

The Tigers will look ahead to matches against district rival Kerrville-Tivy on Oct. 3 and Leander Oct. 7 away before the anticipated rematch with Alamo Heights Oct. 10 at home.

“I think our competitive spirit is what truly separates us from the rest of the district. Everybody in our program just wants to win,” sophomore varsity player Thane Johannsen said.

With the team getting into gear, it seems like everybody has their eyes set on making it to state.

“I’ve never been to state before,” senior varsity captain Trey McBurney said, “but this year just seems like the perfect situation to make a run at it.”

Senior Ryan Lewis and sophomore Julia Bourguignon at the Sept. 14 home match against Westlake. Photos by Tyler Cave

October, 2017

MYDSHSNEWS

Q&A

Football White Out wipes out Tivy

15

Jose Juarez, Freshman

Photos by Tracy Staats

Q. Who is your favorite soccer player & team?

A. My soccer player would be Neymar and my favorite team is FC Barcelona.

Q. Do you play soccer? If so, do you want to play for that team?

A. yes, i do; and, yes, i would like to be this player, because he is awesome. I want to play for FC barcelona, because i love their team.

Q. Statistically, Messi is the number one player. do you think that’s correct?

A. No, it’s not correct because Neymar is the number one player.

Football dynamic shifts due to injuries The Dripping Springs varsity football team has sustained multiple injuries this season, but has still remained undefeated with a 4-0 record (1-0 in district count). Juniors Lane Dominey and Nico Ramirez both have suffered injuries that will cause them to miss out on some or all of this season.

Dominey, a cornerback, suffered his injury at the Hays vs. Dripping game at Hays High School on September 15.

“I got my knee taken out by the quarterback as he was diving into the end zone,” Dominey said.

“I ended up tearing a few things and fracturing something, so I got surgery the week after.”

Ramirez, a linebacker, was injured during the first game of the season against Bastrop.

There was damage to his ankle and surrounding areas. Due to these injuries, positions have been shifted to make up for

Camryn Horst Sports Editor

the their absences in certain positions.

“We play really well as a team,” senior quarterback Trevor Greenman said. “Most of us have been playing together since second grade. As a team, we support our injured players, and we all hope for a quick recovery time.”

Dominey’s recovery is expected to last for the rest of the football season and go well into basketball season, whereas Ramirez should be back on the field later this season.

“Because of my injury, it just really helped me put into perspective on how easily something can be taken away from you,” Dominey said. “A message I would want to send out to everyone who is passionate about something is when you

love to do something, do it to the best of your ability because you never know when it can be taken away.”

Moving forward after such a severe injury has proven to be tough, but Dominey and Ramirez both said they are focusing on successfully recovering.

“If the thing you love gets taken away, do everything in your power to get it back if it means enough to you,” Dominey said.

Dominey says that the team is incredibly close and that they have been nothing but supportive and loving through this time.

“I think that is a big part of our success,” Dominey said.

“When we go out there and get tired, we look to the teammate standing next to us and think to ourselves, ‘I’m gonna play this next play for him.’”

Jordan Batson, Science

Q&A

Q. Who is your favorite soccer player & team?

A. Oh, with out a doubt, it’s Chelsea Football Club in west London. My favorite player probably is Didier Drogba. He is from the Ivory Coast and he’s an amazing striker.

Q.Why is this player and team your favorite?

A. He was a legend at Chelsea. He scored some super important goals, won a Champions League which is like a Super Bowl for European soccer. They’re just my favorite team, because they were in the first match i ever saw on TV. It was a replay. Chelsea Futbol Club played New Castle United, and I just liked Chlesea from what i saw. So, I just stuck with them.

Q. If you had continued on the path of soccer would you have liked to become this player?

Why?

A. Yeah, absolutely. The easist reason is being a proffesional soccer player pays alot of money.

That would

probably be reason number one.

But they also get to travel all

over the world and play different clubs.

world.

So ,you get to see the

- Evelyn Peterson

16 MYDSHSNEWS

October, 2017

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COMMUNITY

Letter from the Editor: Urban Spiral Jaxson Power-Thornton Editor-in-Chief

The changes are evident. Every day Dripping Springs merges ever so slightly more with Austin in its quest to become the next Round Rock, Lake Travis, Gerogetown or Cedar Park.

Austin has consistently been in the top ten fastest growing cities in America, with Georgetown and Round Rock both ranking in the top 15 fastest growing suburbs in America (according to USAToday), and it shows absolutely no signs of slowing, with an average of 159 new people entering the Austin area every day in 2016.

Simply put, Austin is in high demand. And this demand is pushing for more and more homes, markets, schools, etc., and fast.

If you live in Dripping Springs, and you haven’t noticed the changes of late, it is time to come out from under your rock and rejoin the real world.

Our community has traded its farmers markets for strip malls and its pickup trucks for concrete mixers.

Not to say this is bad, it isn’t! It is just the natural evolution of a historically small town like Dripping Springs into a suburban giant of the city of Austin.

Economically, it makes perfect sense. More people moving into Austin need a place to live, and Dripping Springs is on the come-up. People want to get in while the getting is good. This means more homes, more strip malls, more income, more expenditures, more output, more growth, more taxes, more everything economically for the area!

It is, for all intents and purposes, beneficial.

However, with those changes, there is some steps to take before everything is fine and dandy.

We see it acorss the street from our high school’s front doors at the given moment, as construction trudges along on whatever is being built by the high school.

We see it on the 290, where lackluster traffic cones cause drivers to pump the brakes every day in new and unexpected traffic stops thanks to the construction of a new strip mall in front of Belterra. Traffic stops that caused a dear friend of my family to be in a terrifying car accident.

We see it in the school district, which has now accumulated over $200 million dollars of debt in the construction of Sycamore Springs Elementary

and middle school, as well as its other expenditures as of late (including the likes of the new football field, etc). That figure also includes the debt it had remaining before the start of construction.

We also see it with the enormous growth of the area. 18,000 plus new homes are set to be built in the next couple years in the Dripping Springs school district area.

This type of growth is not necessarily a bad thing or a good thing, but rather more of a mixed bag.

On the one hand, you have more prosperity and opportunity in the area in the future, promising more homes, more families, more money... essentially, growth!

On the other hand, that means we have more construction, more debt and more changes into uncharted territory in the present.

Take this as you will, as there is no clear answer as to how you should feel about the changes coming to our home. They are on the horizon either way, looming over us and slowly descending.

Personally, I will be leaving the state for college, and my parents will no longer live in the area, so the time I will spend back in Dripping Springs after I graduate and move on will be little with long gaps in between.

Maybe one day I will return to the Dripping Springs, far off in the future, with children of my own. It’s not a scary thought but a hopeful one to think that the area could be just as new to me as it is to them by the time I return. I’m not sure how nostalgic of an experience it will be, because I’m not sure how much of the area I will recognize.

If I had to guess... I would say that Dripping Springs has 10 years until its elderly community is scoffing at the changes it has undergone. The evidence is all there: floods of people coming in, more houses being built to handle the people, construction so that the area can be a thriving suburb, etc.

Dripping Springs has all the ingredients to be the next perfect suburb for Austinites to take over, and I see no reason for that not to happen.

Changes are coming to Dripping Springs.

Whether or not the future of the area is bright?

That’s up to you to decide.

GabrielleQ & Avena A Freshman

“Adults are harder to change their minds, but whenyouhavestudents,theycanaffecttheworld around them when they grow up. “ How might the Dripping Springs area tackle down racism?

I think by talking to people, not even one on one. Adults are harder to change their minds, but when you have students, they can affect the world around them when they grow up. I don’t believe people who do ignorant things are racist. I feel like they do stupid things and they need to be educated, and the best way to do that is to talk to them.

What differences were there in Round Rock that you don’t see in Dripping Springs?

Round Rock was a lot more diverse than here because I had a full group of Asian friends. There was a really equal balance in the classroom unlike here where there’s an obvious minority. You could see how having many more diverse people changed the perspective of the white people. I think having that diverse group who were part of the majority to understand the minorities.

- Angelina Lepe-Silva

Music from Asia is gaining popularity in Europe and America. How might foreign music help us understand different races better?

I think they definitely can.

Since I’ve been into K-Pop, Korean politics, Korean culture, that has helped me understand more about the Asian culture. Now I understand the tensions between China, Japan, and Korea and the stuff that’s going down there, whereas if I had not gotten into these things, I would live ignorant to that.

If the majority of the races were from “uncommon” countries, what do you think the outcome would be?

I think American culturne would be incredibly different. Being in such close contact with such a diverse group of people would definitely change the perspectives of most Americans to be more open-minded and accepting. This is putting