May/2017
MYDSHSNEWS
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Track Takes on Region Page 15
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Multiple homegrown bands go head-to-head at Hudson’s on Mercer in Dripping Springs High School’s annual Battle of the Bands competition
Page 10 & 11
IN THIS ISSUE OPINION
Column: Women in society Page 3
Community
Prom: Photo Story Page 16
FEATURES
Robotics goes to World Championships Page 6
OPINION
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I’m Doing a Social Media Cleanse, and Here’s Why: Grayson Ruiz
This past week, I’ve had a lot of time to think about myself and my personal goals and aspirations. I’ve also been thinking about who I want to become when I’m older – emotionally and mentally. I watched a news segment on 60 Minutes the other night that really got me thinking. The segment was dedicated to teenagers in this generation and how many of us are glued to our phones. They had scientists and doctors test Anderson Cooper’s heart rate and brain whenever he received a “ding” or notification on his phone and found that every time a millennial hears these sounds or notices a new notification, a hormone is released known as cortisol. The cortisol initiates a “fight or flight response” which compels us to check our phones. To get rid of that anxiety to check our phones, we give in and check them in response. I realized that this tactic is just how these companies lure us in. Snapchat, Facebook, and even Apple have admitted to making their products more addicting for the users. Snapchat is reportedly the “most important social media network”
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according to teens in a recent survey. Snapchat knows how to pull teenagers in by creating content, stories, and snapchats with a time limit, so you are hyper-aware of the activities going on in other people’s lives. That is also how Snapchat is making its money. It kind of feels like I’m being betrayed. The social media companies are making their content more addicting, but at what cost? My mental health? It doesn’t make sense. How will our generation grow up with all of these distractions surrounding our daily lives? Normally, when I need to get something done, it will take me an extra hour or two to finish it because I constantly reach for my phone every 15 minutes. I don’t even think about what I’m doing when I’m reaching for it, and it almost feels like a natural instinct, which is a major problem. I know I can’t, and shouldn’t, be doing this when I have a professional job when I’m older. I know I shouldn’t be doing that when I’m trying to study for the SAT. Even though we know all of these things are bad, we continue to do it, like an addiction. Social media has become the new norm. Kids
Meet the Staff Editor-in-Chief Jaxson Thornton ‘18 Opinion Editor Rylee Matousek ‘17
Features Editor Jaxson Thornton ‘18
Sports Editor Jillian Shepperd ‘17
Entertainment Editor Nifa Kaniga ‘17
Online Editor Grayson Ruiz ‘18
News Editor JT Dahill ‘17
Staff Writers Emily Curran, Giselle Galletti, Alyssa Weinstein, Camryn Horst, Jade Berry, Liliana Reyes, Clara Comparan, Olivia Fletcher, Dallas Johnson
are starting to obtain electronics at earlier ages. They are starting to learn through social media and even learn from their older siblings. They’re reading e-readers instead of books and playing games on their iPads instead of playing games outside. Technology is a great asset to our daily lives, and we would not be able to get certain things done without it. However, we have to realize that turning the screen off for a little bit can enhance our mood and our relationships. After about a week of no social media, I got back on it. I was kind of disappointed in myself because I felt refreshed when I didn’t have it. Hopefully, I can take those periods of separation from social media more often, and I encourage others to do the same. It’s always good to put yourself and your emotional and mental needs first. So, remember to focus on yourself from time to time, instead of what everyone else is doing.
Opinion
MyDSHS welcomes reader viewpoints through letters to the editor and guest columns. Opinions expressed in myDSHSnews are not necessarily those of the Dripping Springs High School or Dripping Springs ISD administration.
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Editorials express the opinions of the myDSHS Editorial Board. Letters and columns are the opinions of an individual and not myDSHS.
Letters
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May, 2017
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COLUMN
Women Can Curb Pervasiveness of Social Objectification Rylee Matousek Opinion Editor
Starting at a very young age, society teaches girls that our bodies were never meant to be ours. We are taught to cover our stomachs, legs, chests, shoulders, etc., all for the sake of not “distracting” others. Our aspirations are supposed to be no more than to attract the attention of men, but never to look easy. We are told that our bodies are meant only to create and care for babies, but even breastfeeding has become sexualized. We reach a certain age and become less of a resident in our own bodies and rather a playground for the decisions and opinions of others. We have yet to be told that our bodies were created for our own cherishment. For dancing, swimming, running, leading, loving, learning, teaching, and so much more. Instead, society has decided to sexualize and possess the bodies of women, make decisions on our behalf about how we are supposed to act, and make it extremely difficult to be respected as a woman in a society that is and has historically been run by men. For my entire young adult life, I have been fairly confused on the issue of what society wants from me as a female. On one hand, music on the radio tells us to have “big, fat butts” and a plethora of other vulgar and sexual requests. But society also wants us to “respect ourselves” and “cover up”. I can honestly say that the things I’ve heard teenage and grown men say about their female colleagues is... less than respectable, to say the least. I’ve heard it in my workplace, walking down the streets of Austin, online, and in school. Sexual harassment doesn’t need to be direct to be wrong. The issue here is not female sexuality. The issue is that our society doesn’t want us to be sexual for ourselves, but for them. Everyone wants to see what’s underneath, but when someone shows off their body for their own personal happiness, their acts are automatically labeled as slutty and
attention seeking. Unfortunately, in our world, sex sells. However, we perpetuate this culture that doesn’t want to see women enjoying their own bodies, but instead show it off for the pleasure of others. Why can’t women appreciate the beauty of their own bodies without being slut-shamed? Because society thinks the expression of a woman’s body is good until it is no longer for their entertainment. The sexualization of women from all cultures and societies needs to stop. When comments are made about a woman’s body that indirectly brands her as property, we reverse hundreds of years of women’s suffrage and basic human rights that our parents, grandparents and ancestors fought for. Basic respect for what someone says and believes, regardless of their gender, race, or sexuality, is a human right. So what can we do to stop this? I could sit here and tell you all of the statistics about sexual harassment and the wage gap, but is that really going to change anything? Maybe... maybe not. So, instead, I’m going to quote Mean Girls: “You all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it ok for guys to call you sluts and whores.” I think that as women, we need to be the catalyst in this reaction of change. When we look at another woman and judge her sexual decisions and outfit choices, we are really letting each other down. Women need to build each other up, not pick each other apart for personal decisions. Beyond being a decent human being, don’t make it okay to judge someone for what they want to do with their body. What a woman does with her body is her choice. What anyone does with their body is their choice. It is so sad to see that women are not respected for what their brains say, only for what their bodies portray. Don’t let music and media skew your
perception of how you view women. Don’t take these stereotypes and stigmas and judge others for not fitting into that mold. Don’t make decisions about someone’s character based on their individual decisions. With all of this being said, I don’t think the sexualization of women or men is healthy. If anything, it causes unrealistic expectations of what everyone is supposed to look like. But with high rates of sexual assault and harassment towards women, something really needs to be said to the people who think this isn’t a real issue. If reading about female sexuality and the sexualization of female bodies bothers you, I would take a look around at our world and start to question everything that is deemed acceptable by our society, and wonder whether the sexualizatin of women is what you are taught to understand, or what you actually believe.
NEWS
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Aviation and Aero Club: Up, Up and Away Emily Curran Staff Writer
Next April, the Aviation and Aero Club here at Dripping Springs High School is doing the unthinkable: going to space. Headed by engineering and computer science teacher John Adams, a small team will be working hard to reach their destination, the edge of Earth’s atmosphere, in a short period of 12 months. The Aviation Club was started about a year ago by a couple of freshmen engineering students in Mr. Adams class and is seeking members to aid this project. “Aviation and Aero Club is a club for people who have an interest in aviation and the engineering that goes with it,” club secretary and freshman Jessica Heintz said. Currently, the club has around seven members, but is hoping for 20 or more by the project’s completion, as it is such a large task. “What we need are more students who are interested,” Adams said. “They can join our club and send this really cool payload package up to an altitude of about 100,000 feet.” “We’re working on launching a weather balloon into the atmosphere and will launch a series of tests during the ascent and descent,” sophomore and project manager Royce Heflin said.
These tests are said to include barometric pressure, detection of x-rays, temperature, and a camera to capture an image of the Earth’s curvature, along with a GoPro to document the adventure. The engineering process is not the most timely
DSHS Teen Violence Awareness Session Olivia Fletcher
Staff Writer Monday evening after school on April 24, seniors Tinsley Glenn and Natalie Schmidt hosted a teen violence awareness and education session through the Sandy Hook Promise foundation. “Sandy Hook Promise itself focuses on gun violence awareness, but their program ‘Say Something’ extends beyond this focus and dwelves into a plethora of other issues, including but not limited to mental illness in adolescents,” Glenn said. “[It] allowed us to explore many facets of youth violence and learn how to bring awareness to and deal with several situations.”
All students, teachers, and community members were invited to attend and Glenn said that she felt the session would be a step in the right direction for understanding and preventing youth violence against others and self. “The lesson goes over all aspects of teen violence and breaks it down into smaller categories that are better able to be understood,” Glenn said. “It eliminates a lot of the stigma associated with youth violence and what it is. Youth violence is always preventable; it is just a matter of taking charge and bringing concerning behavior to the attention of trusted adults. ‘Say Something’ talks about things people tend to shy away from discussing, and in do-
set of procedures, however yields valuable and reliable results, explaining the length of the deadline. “We’re looking at April of next year, which gives us a chance to do some real engineering in terms of planning and designing then testing and redesigning,” Adams said. Although their project is not far along, they are already expecting a large impact. “It will certainly impact the students who do it. They will learn to design a complex system and develop teamwork experience, which is always interesting to colleges and employers,” Adams said. Other members believe the results will extend even further than the students who participate, potentially reaching the community and beyond. “We hope other schools will be inspired by our project,” Heflin said. The Aviation and Aero Club will announce its official launch date as April of 2018 draws closer, but until then, members are needed and plans are being made. As the first students to reach space at DSHS, the Aviation and Aero Club’s launch of a weather balloon is sure to inspire students here and elsewhere.
ing so opens up the conversation and creates a safer community through understanding and awareness.” This issue, however, is not yet solved. Recent studies have shown that the only way to prevent youth violence is through education and communication, which is exactly what Glenn and Schmidt are trying to accomplish. “These issues are not addressed very well today,” Glenn said. “There have certainly been great strides made in beginning the discussion, but there is still a huge misunderstanding and stigma surrounding youth violence, what it is, why it occurs, and who it harms. The lack of education on this issue harms everyone, and prevents people from being able to report concerning behavior, and understand what behavior to look out for.”
May 2017
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Zeus, Jupiter, Hollywood Meet DSHS Olivia Fletcher Staff Writer
Latin teacher Kara Kothmann has introduced a new class this year to Dripping Springs High School focused on mythology and Greece and Rome in Film. DSHS has introduced many new classes this year from German to Gothic Literature, opening up multitudes of opportunities for students to expand their education and gain knowledge in a field they might not be able to at other schools. “After only being able to hit so much during a Latin class, just because there’s so much else that we needed to cover language-wise that our mythology unit always ended up squeezed in towards the end of the year, that it might be a good idea to start a class,” Kothmann said. The Mythology and Greece and Rome in Film classes are divided into two single semester courses that contain elements of crossover, but students are not required to take one in order to take the other. “Mythology, you could make it a year course, but with also wanting to teach film, I thought it would be a good idea to do them each in a semester so that if you chose, you could be in myth in the fall and then film in the spring and it would work out nicely with scheduling,” Kothmann said.
In regards to the process that Kothmann, and any teacher, has to go through to gain permission for a new class, Kothman explained the process of approval. “When Mr. Burns put out that he wanted electives, I had to go through and write a little blurb that would go in the catalogue should it be approved. So I wrote the blurb, saying essentially what the class would cover, a general outline of what we would study in a semester, and then I sent those to Mr. Burns and the counseling office, and it got approved and put in the course catalogue. After that, it was a matter of if there’s interest,” Kothmann explained. Mythology, which was first semester this year, covered stories from Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Norse mythology; Greece and Rome in Film, which is second semester, focuses more on how elements of Greek and Roman history are portrayed in modern cinema, where discrepancies from fact lie and how those stories have changed modern culture. “[Classics] is everywhere. It’s in the novels that you read, it’s in the movies that you see. In mythology we did the Hero’s Journey; any superhero or sci-fi movie, Star Wars for instance, all of those are based off the Hero’s Journey, which is thousands and thousands of years old. It’s the beginning of story-telling, essentially,” Kothmann said.
Three DSHS Student Honored by School Board for Making UIL Academic State Freshman Katie Haberman, senior Michael Martinets, and senior Rachel Nix were honored at the school board meeting on Monday, April 24 for competing at the State academic UIL meet. At the meeting, Academic UIL coordinator Karren Tiller and the contestants’ coaches introduced and talked about the students and their achievement. Haberman recieved 2nd at Regionals for Feature Writing, Michael Martinets 3rd in Spelling, and Rachel Nix 2nd in Computer Applications to qualify for State. Katie Haberman, Michael Martinets, Rachel Nix. Photo by Karen Tiller
This is why Kothmann developed the class originally; she wanted to be able to go more indepth into the origins of ancient cultural belief systems and societies, a study more of the how and why, rather than the who and what. “We don’t have anything like this. You learn about the history in some of your history classes a lot of the time but you may not get to actually watch the movies, or maybe you’ve seen them on your own and you have questions about why they did something a certain way,” Kothmann said. Basing the class off of one she took in college, Kothmann has been working with classics for several years now and hopes to continue teaching Mythology and Greece and Rome in Film, along with Latin, for years to come. “I really enjoy going back and looking at something that I haven’t covered since college, or maybe even earlier than that, and being able to share it with students and see how much they enjoy it,” Kothmann said. I will teach [this class] for as long as people want to take it.”
Senior CVA Level 1 Certified Photo by PhotoTexas
Senior Mikayla Prather is now a certified veterinary assistant after taking and passing her CVA Level 1 test on March 31.
FEATURES
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DSHS split down the middle Trump’s polarizing presidency is controversial amongst students Jaxson Thornton & Jade Berry Editor-in-Chief & Staff Writer
As high school students prepare to take the plunge into adult life and all of its obligations and implications, it’s important for us to stay up to date and informed in today’s crazy and turbulent world. That being said, the extremely controversial subject of President Donald Trump has been buzzing since last year’s election campaign. For many, Trump is seen as a man of reform who promises to “Make America Great Again”. As mentioned in our previous story covering the election cycle, Dripping Springs sits at the epicenter of a political medley, with many liberals from the “blue dot in a red state” that is Austin converging with just as many right-wing conservatives from Dripping Springs’ roots as a rural community. That being said, it is very interesting to see the responses of DSHS students, both Republican and Democrat, to Donald Trump’s presidency. “He’s done so many things that are just not befitting of a president first of all,” sophomore student Maya Diaz said. “And then he also hasn’t solved any problems. A lot of the solutions he’s come up with have just not been fixing anything.” While the Trump supporters might not agree with that statement, one supporter who wishes to remain anonymous has given her opinion on the president’s time so far. “I think that he just needs to be careful with what he’s saying,” they said. “There’s a lot of controversy surrounding him, especially with his plans to build a wall between us and Mexico; he just needs to be cautious of what he’s saying.” However, a different anonymous Trump supporter was happy to chime in. “I think he’s done good. Maybe not great, but I
agree with his efforts to secure the borders, especially.” While there are several different reasons why some students don’t support President Trump, one of the most common reasons is his questionable and unclear stances on the LGBTQA+ community. “He’s done some things specifically to my community, the LGBTQA+ community, that have been really horrible, just trying to discount us,” Diaz said. “And I already didn’t appreciate him as a person, but as a president, I just don’t agree with him.” While neither of the anonymous Trump supporters interviewed mentioned the LGBTQA+ movement, they both stated that they fully agrees with President Trump’s views on the issue of abortion
Photo from Wired.com
and his choice to be pro-life. Even from his supporters who are still backing him, though, they aren’t fully satisfied with his performance. “I would like to see him figure out health care so that more Americans can be covered and to help our inner-cities, which are just a mess.” But when asked if they still approve of the President’s performance over his first 100 days in office, the intervewee was quick to jump in with “Yes!” And this person was just one of many. We here at MyDSHS took a random poll of 50 DSHS students to find out what Trump’s approval rating was amongst the high school. The results were a deadsplit, right down the middle. 50% of students ap-
May, 2017
MYDSHSNEWS
proved of Trump’s first 100 days, and 50% disapproved. This is slightly higher than the most recent national average (as reported by Politico.com on the day of writing), which puts Trump at an approval rating of 42%, and a disapproval rating at 53% (with 5% reporting neutral). Not only is this the lowest approval rating and highest disapproval rating since the statistic began being recorded in 1945, but it also shows (roughly) a 4% drop in Trump’s support from election day, in which he won 46.2% of the popular vote. However, it seems that the strange and complicated political climate of DSHS has begun to embrace Trump, as his support has risen from 34.6% last time we polled in November, to the 50% he has jumped to now. It is important to note that that statistic may be prone to some error, due to 23.5% of the November poll reporting neither in favor of Trump or Clinton,
but perhaps in favor of Bernie Sanders, Gary Johnson, or other third party candidates. Obviously Trump’s presidency has been extremely polarizing, causing students to really evaluate their own political beliefs and discover that many peers within our own school have very different views. Students from both sides of the topic have drastically different hopes for Trump’s actions in the future of his presidency. “I just hope that Trump will start to fix things and start to acknowledge the issues in the world right now that really need to be addressed,” Diaz said in response to be asked what one thing she would like to see Trump do. Politics aside, all the students interviewed could agree that they simply hope for Trump to create a better and more stable world; it just became a matter of whether or not they actually believed it possible.
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Photo courtesy of KVUE.com of the thousands who protested at the Texas State capital Women’s March days after Trump’s election
Out of 50 students surveyed...
50% of students polled (25 students) said that they approve of 50% of students polled (25 students) said that they did not approve Donald Trump’s performance in office through his first 100 days. of Donald Trump’s performance in office through his first 100 days.
FEATURES
8 MYDSHSNEWS May, 2017
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Biel jumpstarts compost program Jaxson Power-Thornton Editor-in-Chief
“But what can we do?” A question so often asked but so little acted upon, in concern to our environment and making real change in our community, and thus, our world. DSHS teacher of the year award winner, Jamie Biel, is not like most, though. Yet again, Mrs. Biel has proved that she practices what she preaches as an AP Environmental Science teacher, and played a key role in the implementation of a new trash/recycle/compost system in our school that will reduce our waste, reduce the school’s collective fossil fuel use, and, believe it or not, make the school money. “It’s a way to reduce the amount of trash that goes to the landfill from our institution,” Biel said. “We’re going to do a better job of sorting our recycling, and we’re going to, for the first time, be able to compost all of our food scraps, and also close loop recycle our styrofoam trays. So we will both be reducing the amount of our trash and better using our resources.” As Biel explains, the benefits are truly endless, not only at a financial and environmental level, but a personal one, too. “Starting at the individual level, I think that
students will develop a sense of pride and accomplishment for being a part of such an innovative system,” Biel said. “I think that our school will be leading the pack in this area, and in Texas, and maybe even nationally in responsible disposal of the volume of waste produced at institutions like schools. Being on the cutting edge, there is a real source of pride.” Not only that, but the DSHS Photo via Hill Country Alliance, from one of Jamie Biel’s earlier attempts Ag Department will be directly to improve the Dripping Springs community benefitting from the new system. “The Ag students benefit financially by using the [DSHS principal] Joe Burns, and we jumped at the school’s compost that they mix with animal scraps opportunity. We knew we could do it, and we were and other waste to use as a sellable product,” she very interested in taking on this challenge,” Biel said. “Also the less money we spend on waste dis- explained. Although the system took some getting used to posal and the purchase of styrofoam trays means the more we spend on students. That means text- for the mass of students at the high school who weren’t familiar with the process of splitting up books, or field trip funds, or computers, etcetera.” Although Mrs. Biel has been on the forefront of their trash into three different categories (waste, this product and its development and implementa- recycle, and compost), the system seems to be tion in our school, the food services director John working fluidly every lunch period as students get Crowley was actually the first person to bring the more and more used to it every day. idea to the floor. “It’s the little things,” one sophomore student “[Crowley] presented this system to myself and said. I didn’t manage to catch her name as it was a brief conversation we had whilst sorting our own waste. “It’s so easy, yet we’re still making a difference. I’ll spend five extra seconds to help Mama Earth a little!” she said, giggling. “Change is uncomfortable for humans, but it starts with pride,” Biel said, when asked about how students can get on board and help. “If you do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do, then this is a really easy system. By being willing to change, this system will become second nature, and we will really start to make a change.” Biel hopes that the new system will show extraordinary results so it can continue to grow even further onto the new Sycamore Campus, opening this Fall, as well as all of the other Dripping Springs ISD campuses. “It’s pretty exciting,” she said. “We are really going to be what we claim to be: a district of innovation.”
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Robotics takes on the world Giselle Galletti Staff Writer
With 20 seconds left on the clock, junior Igor Derke waits in anticipation for gear to come up the lift so he can place it on the aircraft, scoring yet another set of points for Spring Konstant. Located in between Chile and Israel, the Dripping Springs First Robotics Team competed head to head with students from over 50 other countries at the First Robotics World Championships in Houston, TX during the second to last weekend in April. “You have six weeks in January and February to build a 120 pound metal robot, and the robot competes on a team of three robots,” Ms. Marguerite Erickson, physics and robotics teacher, said. “So you build one, and maybe Westlake might build another, and another team will too. You are put on a three team alliance, randomly selected for your qualification matches. So your robot competes with those robots in kind of like a game, so like soccer or
The DSHS First Robotics Spring Konstant with their robot competing at the regional competition
The DSHS Robotics team took home a plethora of prestigious honors in their first year of competition.
volleyball. It has to play against another three robot team.” With such a short amount of time to build their first robot ever, Ms. Erickson made sure her team was up to the challenge. They ended up proving themselves to be far superior to anyone’s expectations. “We went to the Dallas regional competition and won an award called the Rookie All Star Award, and that is such a prestigious honor that it took us to championships,” she said. “And then we attended a second regional in Waco, which we won.” This qualified them for both UIL State and World competitions, something that hadn’t even been on their horizon when they first started off this year. At the World Championships, they managed to not only improve their overall world ranking to 34th, but they also took home the Rookie Inspiration award at the world stage and were the only American team to do so. “We didn’t win the world championships, but that’s ok, because it’s World!” Ms. Erickson said. “But, we have plenty of time to grow into that.” DSHS’ very own robot in action at the regional competition.
Entertainment
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ALL THE LATEST ENTERTAINMENT NEWS >> Visit myDSHS.com/category/entertainment. Alyssa Weinstein
Left on Red wins Battle of the Bands
Staff Writer
Three bands played under the bright lights of Hudson’s and gave all they had on Thursday, April 13 for the annual Battle of the Bands, to win the coveted Founder’s gig. Hudson’s was packed with regulars, high school students, parents, and judges, to support the Student Council’s cause to help the Baptist Mission of Haiti in order to overall help the devastated island recover from the aftermath of their recent hurricane. With the help of Mr. Burns, Mrs. Henry, Coach King, and Student Council, they were all determined to raise funds to help this organization. Math teacher and Student Council sponsor, Kelsey Lee, said that with all their efforts, she hopes that they were able to provide some hurricane relief for Haiti. After Battle of the Bands, Student Council raised approximately $550 for the cause as $5 admission fees were charged at the door, in addition to donations that were collected by students as they walked through the crowd with various water jugs to collect the donations in. Sophomore Maya Diaz, a musician herself who came to support Battle of the Bands, knew most of the students participating in the event. In whether or not she was supporting a particular band, Diaz said, “I wasn’t rooting for a band so much as I was like ‘Left on Red is going to win,’; there wasn’t a question for me.” Her favorite part of attending Battle of the Bands was hanging out with friends, listening to the music, and the venue being Hudson’s. “I take lessons at Hudson’s, so was I was thrilled they were going to be the venue,” Diaz said. “And they did a fantastic job like always. I thought it was the perfect venue.” Overall, Diaz said, “I actually en-
joyed all the acts, which I wasn’t necessarily expecting because last year, there were some performances in which I did not enjoy the music personally. But this year, I actually enjoyed every performance.” The three bands that competed were Jaxson Powers (Jaxson Thornton, Scotty Crosby, and Kianna Rodriguez), Clairvoyant (Michael Geary,
as he prepared and practiced for the big performance that Thornton invited him to be a part of last minute. Crosby was confident in the band’s chances of winning, saying that he “felt great” due to Jaxson’s experience and their lead being a “great performer.” “[He’s] guiding me in the direction I want to go in,” Crosby said. Crosby is trying to gain as much
Photo taken by Federica Rumor Jaxson Thornton from the band Jaxson Powers raps on stage. Chris Lee, Drew Johnson), and Left on Red (Michael Thornton, David Reents, Thomas Reents, Jonah Brown, and Brandon Chaffin). Starting with the opening band, Jaxson Powers, in which they specialize in a “new wave of hip-hop”, junior Jaxson Thornton said that the band experienced some conflicts, calling it “a pretty crazy ride”. He explained that the week of Battle of the Bands, their usual producer, Pyeatt Hitchcock, was unable to play that night. Therefore, Thornton brought the newcomer, Scotty Crosby, a freshman with minimal experience, to fill in as producer. Yet, Crosby was ready to perform with Jaxson Powers,
experience as possible, so he can successfully play Battle of the Bands the next three years to further develop his career as a producer. Aside from the band’s conflicts, Jaxson was not concerned about winning, he thought “getting the chance to perform” was more important and more valuable for his band. Last year, he won second place in Battle of the Bands. “I’m not expecting to win,” Jaxson said, who considered his performance more of a “solo act”. However, Jaxson still thought he had a good chance since the majority of the songs he performed were originals that he has written, as well as him
having a great amount of professional experience outside of school in the music industry. Yet, Jaxson Powers did not place first in the competition, as Left on Red took home the Founder’s Day gig. Crosby and Thornton agreed upon the fact that the most likely reason they did not win was due to the crowd at Hudson’s and the scene of it being a “country bar”. “The crowd wasn’t really there for hip-hop. It’s kind of hard when the crowd’s not into it. You can’t perform your best,” Crosby said. “However, it’s just about getting the crowd into it, even if they don’t want to.” Therefore, Crosby hopes to work on crowd control, as he plans on performing the next three years at Battle of the Bands. “Anytime you get to perform, it is a positive experience,” Crosby said. Jaxson even commented that night in between songs that he could tell the crowd was not into his music, but stated that he was having fun while performing. The next band, Clairvoyant, played their pop punk music (while squeezing a promposal in between songs) last after Jaxson Powers and Left on Red. This was the second year Clairvoyant has played Battle of the Bands, and they had an optimistic attitude going into this year’s competition. Lead singer and guitarist Michael Geary said their experience “sucked” last year, as they were bumped last minute to open, as well as them having technical difficulties according to Drew Johnson, the drummer of Clairvoyant. “We’ve grown and done a lot of writing,” Geary said. Therefore, he was confident in his band’s chances of winning. Yet, Clairvoyant did not win this year, but took the loss in good spirits as well. Geary and drummer Drew Johnson agreed that the band could have practiced more and that it could have
May, 2017
MYDSHSNEWS been better overall if they had their bass player Foster Joyce. Along with Jaxson Powers having scheduling conflicts with their members, Clairvoyant experienced the same issue with Joyce, as he was unable to practice due to being out of town. Therefore, Joyce did not play that night and instead, the members during the performance had to switch off playing guitar and bass to make-up for Joyce’s absence. Even though Clairvoyant didn’t win, they still called their performance a positive experience. For the future of Clairvoyant, they will be continuing their music as they are releasing a new album this summer that will be available on Spotify and iTunes. Lastly, the winner of this year’s Battle of the Bands was Left on Red, the rock band that had everyone dancing in front of the stage. After participating in Battle of the Bands two consecutive years, Left on Red finally won their well-deserved Founder’s gig. With practicing up to twice a week, having two years of experience of playing at Battle of the Bands, along with lead singer Michael Thornton’s 10 years of experience in music, Left on Red was hopeful and confident in their chances of winning. “There is a bias every year,” Michael said, referencing the judges’ favoritism for seniors, especially after Telecom won last year. “The senior bands have always been good, but the second place and third place [didn’t] really make sense—they put seniors first because they’re seniors.” Before the concert, Thornton said that a reason he enjoys the experience of Battle of the Bands is to receive “a critique in a different environment”, even if the criticism appeared biased in the past. Thornton still appreciates any criticism, and he hoped that it wouldn’t be biased for them this year. Before his band won, Thornton expressed his honest opinion about the judges. “If we don’t get a first place, I’ll have lost all my hope in [Battle of the Bands],” Thornton said. “I’m pushing for audience vote because that would
be more critical. But I wouldn’t say the judges aren’t critical, but they’re critical in the wrong way.” Thornton explained it wouldn’t surprise them if they didn’t win. “In the past, the judges’ style preferences have been strange and there’s not very much diversity amongst it,” Thornton said. He has noticed over the years that the judges like indie or rap music and that they don’t seem to prefer rock’n’roll, which was another reason that Thornton thought they might not win. After Left on Red’s performance of cover songs ranging from Modest Mouse to Oasis, the band won first place, then did an encore performance celebrating their win. Yet, Thornton admitted that they had no idea they would be granted an encore performance if they won, so they quickly arranged three cover songs to play by artists Chuck Berry, Foo Fighters, and Coldplay. Reflecting on the band’s performance, Thornton said it was overall an awesome and fun experience with great energy from the crowd. However, Thornton described this year’s Battle of the Bands as a sad and nostalgic performance for the band, since they’ll be breaking up after graduation. “We have a gig at Founder’s, the same day we will be playing at Prom,” Thornton, so the band is looking forward to their last hurrah before they separate. Both Clairvoyant and Jaxson Powers regarded Left on Red as the most deserving group of the night. Michael Geary called Left on Red a “great band” and said that their win was “fair.” Jaxson Thornton gave high praise as well, calling Left on Red’s performance “phenomenal”, saying that “[he was] happy that they won because they were so go od.” In the end, all three bands that participated did an excellent job providing incredible music, all while helping the Baptist Mission of Haiti.
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DSHS Theater Wins Awards Nifa Kaniga
Entertainment Editor On April 13, 2017, 31 high schools from the greater Austin area participated in GAHSMTA or Greater Austin High School Musical Theater Awards at the Long Center with their partners, the University of Austin College of Fine Arts and ZACH Theatre. “There were 31 schools in the Greater Austin area, that competed with their individual musicals,” Rachael Koske, Theater Director, said. “Then there’s a big Tony/Oscars awards-style award ceremony that we had last week (April 13), where we all go with huge production numbers, and we were honored to have a lot of nominations” There were 15 nominations: best production, best direction, best choreography, best musical direction, best orchestra, best scenic design, best lighting design, best costume design, best technical execution, best ensemble, best actor in a leading role, best actress in a leading role, best actor in a supporting role, best actress in a supporting role, best featured performer. “Best costume design, best scenic design, best actress (senior Trinity Adams), best ensemble, two feature performer
nominations for (senior) Logan Dundan (senior) Ellie Kuykendall, best choreography,” Koske said. “I was nominated for best feature performer,” Dundon said. “We got on stage and in the beginning, we got to perform a small number that introduces the show. Then there’s an award later on in the second act that we wait for.” Adams was nominated best lead actress is Medley, so she performed as her character, Eliza, with the eight other actresses that were nominated. Kuykendall is a member of a group called the Select Ensemble. They auditioned at the beginning of the year from all of the schools. If they were selected, they were part of an “elite” group that performed many different numbers throughout the show. “My Fair Lady is a huge undertaking, but I thought it was great. We were working on it since mid-November and on,” Koske said. “The Musical Theater Awards themselves are another production, so the people who were in that show were going to rehearsals at the Long Center for a couple of weeks ahead of time. It was huge, but it was great.”
Photo taken by Ladelle Gowens DSHS Theater poses for photo at the Long Center for the GAHSMTA
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CREATIVE
WANT TO TELL A STORY? >> Visit myDSHS.com/category/contribute to submit your creative writing.
A Single Rose Julia Junker
A single rose Tells a tale That everyone knows.
A story about a prince Who thought he did no wrong, That since The beginning, he was perfect. But then the queen told him, “If you don’t learn to respect Those around you, There is no point in letting you reign.” And so she pulled out her wand which sparked blue And transformed him into a beast With one swish. The prince’s rule ceased, And the village became bright. The beast hid himself, Always out of sight. Now here enters our beauty, Obsessed with books and learning. However, she knows her duty. She kept by her father’s side, Helping him with his work, Full of pride. One day, on the way to a fair, The beast kidnapped our beauty’s father, After the man sat in his chair. Once our beauty caught word, She set off in a hurry, Flying through the woods on her horse like a bird. Upon arriving at the castle, She turned in herself In exchange for her father, all too gracile.
CONTINUED ON: DSMERAKI.WEEBLY.COM > POETRY by Jade Howe
May, 2017
MYDSHSNEWS
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SPORTS
14 MYDSHSNEWS May, 2017
WANT MORE SPORTS? >> Visit myDSHS.com/category/sports for all the latest coverage.
Tiger track moves ahead to regionals 14 participants move on to regional meet Camryn Horst Staff Writer
The Dripping Springs track team competed in a district wide competition on April 11 and 12. Varsity boys placed 6th, JV boys placed 6th, varsity girls placed 3rd, and JV girls placed 2nd overall. A total of 17 participants moved on to the area meet. On April 19, Dripping competed in area at Marble Falls and had 14 students advance to regionals this weekend. Junior hurdler Hannah Biggs said she was very proud of the team at their district performance as a whole. “We started off prelims with a rain delay, and the meet ended up being postponed to Wednesday,” Biggs said. “However, the team pushed through and did very well going into Wednesday.” Biggs came in first overall for the district, as well as area. “I ran the 100m hurdles twice on Wednesday because of rain delay - once to qualify for finals and
once to qualify for area,” Biggs said. “I was very happy to see how the hurdlers performed overall. Lightsey Puryear qualified for finals in the 100m which was amazing to see her do, as well as advancing into area in 300m hurdles. Justin Wright also made it to area for both races as well.” Junior Justin Wright ran the varsity 110m and the 300m hurdles and placed 2nd in both at district and 2nd in the 110m at area to qualify for regionals. “Every event has three people in the varsity division and four in the junior varsity division, so almost all people make it to district,” Wright said. “The top four runners of each race and field event get to move on to area and then the top four from there move on to regionals.” Sophomore Thomas Babiak said the district meet is a great experience. “As a team, we had some athletes that were able to beat their best personal times which is always a good note to end the season on,” Babiak said. “There are some individuals among the team that are advancing to area, so if they do well at the area meet, they’ll progress to regionals then state.”
Photo by Kenna Dove, staff photographer
Zack Kovar - 800m (1st), 4x400m relay (2nd); Bryce Kalsu - 800m (2nd), 400m (2nd), 4x400m relay (2nd) at District hosted by Dripping Springs.
Wright says a lot of practice and dedication went into preparing for district. “In order to be a good runner you need to be dedicated to spending a lot of time doing all sorts of training,” Wright said. “For hurdles, we would do 1 hour of practice in the morning, some of us would then lift weights in the track class, and then after school we did an hour of drills to make our form better and more efficient.” The next meet of the season is regionals with runners Biggs, Avery Kalsu, Sydney Cole, Lightsey Puryear, Sydney Burtch, Kyndall Womack, Frankie Lord competing in addition to Sydney Loveless in triple jump on the girls side with Wright, Bryce Kalsu, Zach Kovar, Nate Blevins, and Trevor Greenman competing on the boys side. “Dripping is doing very well, and I believe that we will have a lot of fun running as a team in regionals when we get there,” Biggs said. Wright says he is very excited about his improvement this year. “Last year I advanced to area in only the 110s, but this year I’m moving on in both events I do, and it is really fun to continually race against faster people,” Wright said. “Track is a great way to compete against others and to continually make yourself better.”
Photo by Kenna Dove, staff photographer
Junior Hannah Biggs got 1st in 100m hurdles in districts as well as 1st place area and will be moving onto regionals.
May, 2017
MYDSHSNEWS
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Once you become a runner, you never really stop Giselle Galletti Staff Writer
The human body is meant to be active, up, and moving around, and what better way to accomplish this than to run. Marisa Parks is the assistant athletic director and head coach for the girls track and field team here at DSHS, and she has led her girls to have a very successful season. With multiple athletes qualifying for regional competition and senior Sydney Cole signing to compete at the collegiate level. “We are heading into the regional Meet this weekend. We have 14 athletes qualified,” Parks said. “Currently we have three girls holding current school records: Sydney Loveless (sophomore) - triple jump - 36’-7.5”, Avery Kalsu (freshman) - 400m - 57.83 and Sydney Cole - 1600m - 5:12.82. Going into regionals this year, we have a great chance to get some athletes qualified for the state championship. Avery Kalsu (400m), Hannah Biggs (100m hurdles) and Sydney Cole (1600m)
have the top times coming in. I’m so proud of the athletes that made it this far. In addition, we have Lightsey Puryear (junior) in the 300m Hurdles, Sydney Loveless in triple jump, the 4x400m relay of Sydney Burtch, Kyndall Womack, Frankie Lord and Avery Kalsu.” With these kind of stats, the competition is tough, and senior Sydney Cole has taken it in stride. So much so that she will be attending and running for A&M Corpus Christi this fall. “I have started to love [running],I’m good at it, it’s fun, and it keeps you in shape,” Cole said. “Whenever I get tired during a race, I usually think ‘I want this more than the person next to me’.” Cole is a seasoned competitor for DSHS, and her coach has been there the whole time. “Sydney Cole has been a joy to coach,” Parks said. “She has a very determined work ethic and competitiveness. It has been evident in all of her races from the 800m on the track to the 5K in cross country. It’s been fun to watch Sydney mature as an athlete.
She has always been talented, but it wasn’t until her junior year that she seemed to fully grasp her potential and turn it into great success. It was like a light bulb switched on last year, and she has great determination and focus. I hope she truly enjoys the college athletic experience and is able to excel on the track and in cross country. I do see Sydney as a lifelong competitor, and hope to see her competing beyond college. So far, her PR (personal record) is 2:19 for 800m, 5:12 for 1600m, 11:39 for 3200m and 19:24 for 5K in cross country.” A&M Corpus is on its own island in the corner of Corpus Christi, offering a huge variety of majors. With endless stretches of beach that Cole will be able to spend her off time running on, right outside of her dorm. “I’m excited to make more progress to become a better runner and meet new friends,” Cole said. “I’ve always wanted to go to that school. They offer a really good education. I’m looking to major in early childhood education, so kindergarten.” With college to look forward to, Cole
is well on her way and is spending the rest of senior year with Coach Parks and the rest of the team as they make their way to regionals and hopefully state. “It’s been such a fun season,” Parks said. “We have a lot of young, new ladies on the team that have brought a lot of talent. It’s been a great mix of upperclassmen and freshmen. We finished just a few points out of 2nd place in the team competition at district. We have a bright future. I just truly want the athletes to succeed, but have an enjoyable experience as well. Track doesn’t receive a lot of glory as a sport, so the athletes really need to take pride in their work and achievements. It’s pure grit, determination and tests your work ethic. It’s an intrinsic reward.” In the words of Sydney Cole, “Once you become a runner, you never really stop.” As the girls head into regionals, and future endeavors, their years running for DSHS continue to stay with them through it all.
Photo by Natalie Thompson, staff photographer
Senior Sydney Cole receives 1st place in the 800m and the 1600m at district and area, moving onto regionals.
16 MYDSHSNEWS May, 2017
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PROM
Night Museum AT THE
Students greet each other at the entrance of the Bob Bullock Museum in downtown Austin.
With two levels to explore, the guests could dance in the main rotunda or venture upstairs.
Students danced with glow sticks and necklaces flanked by tables with seating.
Groups arrived together after dinners all over Dripping Springs and Austin.
Photos by Jade Berry and Cameron Wilson