MyDSHSNews November 2016

November/2016

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Dripping Springs High School, and its strange political dichotomy IN THIS ISSUE OPINION

Column: Distracted Driving Page 3

CREATIVE

Poetry Collaboration: Comics & Puzzle Page 13

FEATURES

Vietnam’s 50th: Veterans honored Page 8

Olivia Fletcher Staff Writer

The 2016 United States Presidential Election is coming up in November, just a few short weeks until the finale of what has arguably been the biggest political showdown in American history. With the two major party candidates providing platforms that

vary in more ways than they are alike and the candidates themselves varying in more ways than they are alike, it’s difficult to dispute that this has been one of the most inflammatory and divided elections for the American people.

Texas as a state has tra-

ditionally always leaned towards the Republican Party in both popular and electoral college votes, with Austin being the exception known as the ‘blue island in the red sea’.

But in this election, the popular opinion is differing from most years with more Political >> Page 6

OPINION

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

Distracted driving “makes you look like an idiot”

Rylee Matousek Contributing Writer

To the kids who furiously speed down 290 and sit in the fast lane while snap-chatting and checking insta; HOW DO YOU THINK ACCIDENTS HAPPEN? Listen up DSHS, I have a few points to make. It’s time we get serious about the perils of being a bad driver.

First of all, why are you speeding in the first place?

Do you really want to get to school faster than everyone else? Speeding not only puts you in serious danger if you were to crash your car, but it also makes you more susceptible to getting pulled over.

I’m sure explaining that to your parents would make for a great time. Sure, I will be the first to admit that I’ve gotten lost in a daze of borderline highway hypnosis and accidentally sped

up unknowingly, but that is no excuse for being a rude driver. Speeding aggressively around people going five over the speed limit is rude.

Pulling out in front of a car going 65 is rude. Not paying attention to what’s going on is rude. There is absolutely no point in speeding around me when we all know I’m going to end up right next to you at the next

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red light.

Furthermore, texting and driving makes you look like an idiot. If there is something so important going on that you need to put everyone’s life on the line so you can text and drive, pull over!

There is no text, call, Snapchat, Instagram post or subtweet that is more important than keeping yourself safe.

I get it, social media is ad-

dicting, but we have to stop acting like we’re invincible to the dangers that come with driving. Putting your phone down for a 20 minute drive to school isn’t impossible.

If you’re thinking, “okay texting and driving isn’t that hard. I could do it with my eyes closed,” you are LYING. Don’t tell me that you swerving and speeding in

Meet the Staff Editor-in-Chief Jaxson Thornton ‘18 Opinion Editor Nifa Kaniga & JT Dahill

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, Olivia Fletcher, Camryn Horst, Giselle Galletti, Kayleigh Dodson, Kaitlyn West

your brand new car is you paying attention to the road.

If you’re lucky enough to have a car, be grateful that you have your license, and refuse to take advantage of those things. I assume that most people won’t actually consider this until they wreck their car while sending a snap, but by then, it might be too late. It would be extremely unfortunate to lose a classmate because of texting and driving.

My advice to everyone is to be patient. Park your car in the slow lane, set your cruise control to the speed limit, play some hipster instrumental nose flute music and chill out. You will get to your destination eventually where you can check your phone all you want. In the meantime, pretend like every time you drive, you’re driving with a parent. Be safe, friends.

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.

Editorials, Columns & Letters

Editorials express the opinions of the writers.

Letters and columns are the opinions of an individual and not myDSHS.

Letters

To submit a letter, email DSHSstudentmedia@dsisdconnect.com. Letters should be a maxiumum of 400 words. The letter is not guaranteed to be published.

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COLUMN

Just Be You! (But with Photoshop) Kayleigh Dodson Staff Writer

Kylie Jenner’s 4728 (and counting) Instagram posts display a glamorous lifestyle of perfect makeup, flawless hair, and curvy bodies that are supposedly 100% real. But just because a picture says #NoFilter, doesn't mean it's real and achievable by the everyday girl.

In this day and age, kids are practically being raised by technology - you can't watch TV without seeing a commercial about ABC Mouse, a learning program for young kids. Children are using handheld devices at the age of 8, and are immediately released into the world wide web, which is filled with fake hair, high

heels, and overlined lips.

Scientists say that children and early teens are at the best age to learn things like how to play the guitar or how to sew because they are at a very impressionable time in their lives. This is exactly the same time that these same kids are being exposed to things like Instagram and Twitter.

Young girls especially are in danger of losing all self esteem. Billboards scattered around the country display beautiful models photoshopped to look like goddesses telling little girls to be themselves and be comfortable in their own bodies. However, these girls are growing up wondering why they don't have beauti-

ful long hair like Gigi Hadid, luscious thick eyebrows like Cara Delevingne, or a “hot bod” like Hailey Baldwin.

This is not to say that the internet is a bad thing.

Nowadays, children are sometimes even more educated than adults thanks to the endless information the Net can supply. Kids are even more up to date on what's happening in the election or who's going to win the Nobel Peace prize because all the knowledge is right in front of them at all times.

Be that as it may, the influence that the celebrities have on young children could be seen as bad. No amount of filters or flattering lighting will ever make

girls feel as amazing as the models on the billboards look because most of it is fake. It is not humanly possible to have perfect skin and a flat tummy every day without the help of an outside force.

On the other hand, in recent months, familiar celebrity faces have been standing out to say “Hey, we’re just like you, we’re not perfect. And it's okay.” Zen-

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daya, a singer and Disney Channel star went so far as to post a before and after picture of her being photoshopped. She explained how much she loved her own body and didn't want others to think she looked like that.

“These are the things that make women self conscious,” she said. “That creates the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have.”

NEWS

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KNOW OF AN EVENT WE SHOULD COVER? >> Visit myDSHS.com/category/contact to submit news tips.

Anti-Bullying day passes by unnoticed Camryn Horst Staff Writer

PALS hosted a school wide Anti-Bullying day to raise awareness for this subject that is prominent in the hallways of the high school.

Despite that, most actions go unnoticed by majority of the campus.

PALS asked the student body to wear orange on Wednesday October 19 to show a unification among the campus. But when very few students wore orange, it became clear that there was something wrong, whether it be the message wasn’t widely spread, or the student body lacked interest in the concept of anti-bullying.

For the past two years PALS (Peer Assistance and Leadership) has joined in with the National Unity Day (this year was on Oct. 19) to stand up against bullying.

Leader of PALS, Mrs. Wright said, “Although bullying is not always prominent on our campus, it is common via social media.”

When asked about their recognition of Anti-Bullying day, some students were completely clueless to the fact that PALS even made a day for this cause.

“I think that the school could have made announcements to inform more of the students, instead of just posters,” sophomore Kitty Gherke said. “I believe bullying is a problem, but it is low key.

You don’t know about bullying until it’s personal, and then you realize it’s more prominent in the school than you thought before.”

Senior Shane Miller, member of PALS, believed that the Anti-Bullying day failed to get the involvement of the student body. “In this day and age, not a lot of people care about bullying unless it happens to them,” Miller said.

Miller believes that the main source of bullying occurs on a social media platform.

“I think bullying is not as much a real life thing as it is a cyber thing.

People post things that are passive aggressive and usually don’t get in trouble,” Miller said. “The internet, when used incorrectly, is the weapon of cowards. DSHS does have bullying as much as other schools, but like I said, it’s passive aggressive and cyber.”

When asked about how Anti-Bullying day could have been more successful, Miller stated that a message was needed to help get the point across.

“The message could be more widespread if we had a super compelling story that affected everyone and made them care in a deeper way,” Miller said.

The lack of awareness soon became unavoidable.

“I didn’t know that PALS was hosting this day,” sophomore Grace Fowler said, “but if I would have known then I definitely would have worn orange to participate in the cause.”

Robotics Team Bets Farm at Competition The DSHS robotics team F.A.R.M. (Fundamental Agricultural Robotic Manufacturing), will travel to competition Saturday, the 29 at Round Rock High School. Competing with their robot Barnstormer, the students hope to show off what they have accomplished during the 6 weeks of planning. The BEST (Boosting Science, Engineering and Technology), competition judges teams of high scholars who design and build a functioning robot that will partake in a challenge and games of strategy with other robots.

Developing a marketing plan, organizing for donations, and building a team image is also a large part of the competition. Teams can advance all the way to national levels by earning points in different categories where college scholarships are available.

DSHS has been a participant since 2008 and meets Wednesdays after school and Sunday afternoons. This year’s challenge, Bet The Farm, includes planting and picking corn and herding pigs. The team is lead by Mr. Jad Jadeja.

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These high schoolers are legendary Tessa Stigler

Contributing Writer DSHS created its first ever competitive high school League Team this semester for students who wish to play League of Legends with their peers, competitively.

“League of Legends, specifically, is an online M.O.B.A. (multiplayer online battle arena),” teacher and team coach, Matt Simpson, said. “It’s a battle arena game. It’s teams of 5v5 to 3v3. You play competitively against other 5v5 or 3v3 teams. Stats are kept, there’s tournaments, [and] leagues that you can get into.”

League of Legends was released in 2009, and since then, competitive league teams have been popping up in high schools around the world.

“I like it because it’s really fun to talk with your friends for hours, and then the strategy aspect adds to the overall benefit,” junior and League of Legends

Club President, Joshua King, said.

Whether or not eSports should be considered sports has been a long debate. One issue involves the U.S. government giving visas to foreign players for eSports. In 2013, the U.S. government recognized League of Legends Championship Series as a professional sport.

“The fact is that it is all mental; it’s not exactly a strength or physical thing,” junior team member, Wyatt Camozzi, said. “So, a lot of people are like, ‘Oh my god, that’s not a sport.’ You still have to put in the crucial hours that are painstakingly difficult.

It’s more than sitting down and trying to play this game. If you’re a pro, you’re practicing for 16 hours a day sometimes and that’s actually a lot of mental strength.”

Because this is DSHS’ first time having a competitive high school League Team, there is some pressure to succeed.

“My hopes for the future of the league are, of

Interact Club leading by example Rachel King and J.T. Dahill

Contributing Writer and Section Editor Dripping Springs High School (DSHS) Interact club will be discussing their yearly fund-raisers and service projects at their upcoming meeting this fall.

Interact is a Rotary sponsored community service club that is beginning their second year at the high school.

“Interact’s main goal as a club is to benefit the community in all ways,” Joshua King, Interact Treasurer, said. “Each year we choose a local service project and raise money in order to make the biggest positive impact on our community.”

This year, Interact plans on working along side with the School Board of Education to provide portable wifi cards for students at Dripping Springs schools.

“I am really looking forward to fundraising for such a great cause this year. I’m glad to see the money we raise this year benefiting some of my fellow classmates,” freshman Sydney Morriss said.

While working to make an influence in the community, Interact also upholds a responsible reputation at school.

“I joined interact club because I wanted to be a part of an organization that is looked so highly upon and helps the community and charitable organizations at the same time,” sophomore Cade Oldham said.

Interact hopes to expand in numbers and surpass their funds and volunteer hours reached last year.

“This year, we want to maintain being the biggest club in the school and raise more money to donate than we reached last year,” senior and Interact President, Prescott Remington, said.

Students are eager to jump into fundraising events.

“We want to continue serving our community and expand the ways that Interact can do so,” senior and Interact Community Outreach Officer, J.T. Dahill, said. “Our accomplishments have proven how much can be done when the community and Interact unite together and will continue to do so.”

King states that Interact’s example needs to show those both in and out of the community that Interact members are the best Dripping Springs has to offer.

“We have to show Interact is a club of responsible students and good leaders that want to help the Dripping Springs community,” King said.

course, improving, getting to rank 1, [and] getting the $15,000 scholarship for college. That would be good,” junior team member, Jacob Duran, said. “Of course, being undefeated this season is the goal, but it may not happen.”

Latin Club Competes

Mariah Chappell, Jason Schultz, and Hannah Huzzey compete at the Latin Catamen at Westlake High School this past weekend. The Latin Catamen is a knowledge-based game where the kids use electronic buzzers to demonstrate their fast recall of facts on Latin civilization, culture, people and language.

All-Region Choir Juliane Paine Shaylin Mayhew Brynn Johnson Riley Ruchti

Rachel Nix Juliana Ussia Elaia Larios Joseph Bartling

Anna Smith Meredith Anderson Bailey Hudgeons Will Jackson

FEATURES

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KNOW A STORY WE SHOULD COVER? >> Visit www.myDSHS.com/category/contact to submit story ideas.

Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton are the major party representatives in this historic election, leaving many to question the fate of America.

Political >> From Page 1 people in favor of the Democratic candidate, causing many people to consider Texas a swing state rather than absolute, sure-fire Republican.

In an effort to find out the political opinions of Dripping Springs High School students, the DSHS Student Media Office sent out a survey on current political affiliation to students and the responses were as follows; 34.6% were in favor of Republican candidate Donald Trump, 29.9% were in favor of Democratic candidate Secretary Hillary Clinton, 7.3% favored Gary Johnson, and 4.3% favored Jill Stein, while 23.5% reported ‘other’.

These numbers do follow the general trend of the current polls for Texas, with Mr. Trump leading over Secretary Clinton by a

range of 2-7%, while the polls for the whole nation have reported with Secretary Clinton having a lead of 4-9% in popular opinion, a lead that many say will be difficult for Mr. Trump to close before the election, especially due to his falling favor with female voters in light of recent events.

Mr. Trump has fallen a reported 17% since the release by The Washington Post of the audio of his conversation with Billy Bush in 2005 on the set of an Access Hollywood episode. The video included the audio of Mr. Trump making extremely lewd comments and admitting to and encouraging sexual assault of women. This video has sparked outrage, horror, and disgust from thousands of Americans and paired with the testimonies of multiple women that Mr. Trump has

Photo from CNN.com

sexually assaulted, many Republicans have pulled their support of Mr. Trump, claiming that they could not support someone with those views and whose reported to have committed those actions to hold the position of the President of the United States.

However, Mr. Trump does still maintain a lead with the male voters of the United States, with the disparity between women and men’s political opinions differing more than they have since the early 20th century.

And gender is not the only divide among American voters; age is a big factor as well, with younger citizens favoring a Democratic presidency, while those over 35 prefer a Republican. These divisions bring an interesting aspect to the election that we don’t often see: the media’s involvement in advocating

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MYDSHSNEWS

voting.

Multiple media outlets are urging citizens to go to the polls and exercise their right to vote because, in recent years, voter turnout has only been within 50-57%, one of the lowest among democratic nations. And, in this election, every vote will count, especially in swing states where there isn’t traditionally a favor for any one party.

Young voters are being encouraged to vote more than any group though due to the fact that voter turnout for ages 18-24 is the lowest out of all the age groups. And with popular opinion of young voters differing from the opinions of older voters, if the number of 18-24 voters does increase, it can sway the election in favor of a Democratic presidency over a Republican.

Beyond political affiliations, most American’s can all agree that this election has been a rollercoaster ride from the start, and no matter who sits behind the desk in the Oval Office this coming January.

Presidential General Election Poll

Trump

34.6%

Clinton

29.9%

Johnson

7.7%

Stein

4.3%

*chosen by 234 DSHS students

Other

23.5%

The Meraki Giselle Galletti Staff Writer

Create the things you wish existed. In the case of the creative writing class at Dripping Springs High School, this means the students are using different forms of writing mediums such as stories, poems, and everything in between, to create works that they feel the world is missing. “[The creative writing class] was started last year by Katie Eyberg who did a wonderful job in getting the program established,” Travis Crain, the new sponsor, said, “and what it is and what we want to be is a place where writers have an environment that they feel like they can create in and explore without being judged and push themselves to be better and to give them some tools to be able to do that.”

When Ms. Eyberg stopped teaching at the school at the end of last year, she left the class in the very capable hands of the English teacher and coach. He has big

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plans in store for the class this year and in future years. “[I just] want to give them a like minded person who kind of shares that interest and also has a little experience where I can guide them and say, ‘Hey, this is where you can go to find resources, this is where you can go to get better, here are people who have done it, that are successful, and here is what they’ve done,’” Crain said.

It isn’t a regular English class and cannot be taken in place of an English class, but it goes deeper into the subjects that are only briefly touched on. These are the parts that the writers love the most.

“We are looking at doing an open mic night on November 8 [and making it a regular thing] in the library, and it is open to everyone and it’s free. So, yeah, there’s a lot of stuff going on, and I’m really proud of our kids,” Crain said.

Coach Crain has also confirmed that there will definitely be a literary magazine, otherwise known as The Meraki, coming out with the yearbook again: a compilation of their best poems and short stories from the school year.

FEATURES

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

Vietnam 50th Commemoration Willie Johnson Staff Writer

Across the country, thousands of Vietnam war veterans are mobilizing once again for commemoration of the conflict’s 50th anniversary. Put on by cities in public buildings, these events have become the spotlight of recent attention in the long crusade to properly honor those who sacrificed so much during the conflict.

Most people spoken to knew nothing about this and required simple background information in order to properly respond to specific questions asked about commemoration activities.

“Not really, no,” sophomore Dylan Kunz said when asked if he knew anything about Vietnam 50th anniversaries – affir-

mation that these events should be more widely a vertised, so as to inform the general public about them and their importance.

On the other hand, just about everyone had familial connection to the conflict. The lives of many were touched by the war, and many young people of that era are grandparents or elders today. The massive contribution that the middle-class made is still clearly present in those interviewed.

“My grandfather’s brother served as a pilot in the Vietnam War,” sophomore Thomas Babiak said. “My dad’s girlfriend has a relative who also fought in Vietnam.”

The widespread part played by these and millions of other

Americans are undeniable and continue to affect people today.

Another positive thread that existed between subjects was respect for veterans, which shows a true reversal from the unfair treatment many received upon their return home five decades ago.

“The act of putting one’s life at risk in order to fight for a cause much bigger than themselves merits recognition,” sophomore Kenneth Gossett said, mirroring the opinion of many others.

The goal of these commemoration events is to pay tribute to veterans, but many people believe that the government should provide financial reparations and apologies instead. It’s a divisive issue, and opinions are often shaped by personal connections to those who served.

“I believe the government should commemorate these

veterans and not pay them,” freshman Owen Craddock said.

“They should only pay for war related issues that can be taken up with the VA.” Remembering the events of that war is another big part these activities and brings up the important question of relevance; what is the point of rejuvenating the pain that Vietnam created a long time ago?

“I believe the relevance of remembering a historical event comes in the future knowledge it provides,” sophomore Christian Pundt said. “By studying every aspect of the event, we can hopefully make wiser policy-making decisions in the future.”

The U.S. military holds a similar perspective and constantly changes policy, tactics, and technology in response to lessons learned during past and current conflicts. The way American ci-

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MYDSHSNEWS

Photo from Commons.Wikimedia.org

vilians perceive their armed forces could also be affected by the raised awareness of the effects of war, an important message commemorations present.

“The commemoration of veterans apart from war is important because it distinguishes those individuals from war. The Vietnam War, being as gruesome as it was, deserves respect to its veterans,” Babiak said.

Commemoration events serve to honor the service of veterans rather than the events of the war itself, something that most people believe is an important distinction. Right or wrong, it’s not soldiers that start or finish wars- they simply follow orders and fight.

“One could say it is because the war’s events are usually credited to leaders (i.e. presidents, generals, etc.) rather than the common soldier, and in commemorating their service we reach out to more people,” Gossett said. “Another point of view could be that the soldiers were the ones that al-

lowed these events to happen.” This shows both sides of the subject, but illustrates why veterans are not to blame.

Those eligible to be honored at these events are anyone who served in the U.S. military between 1955 and 1975, the 20-year period of American support to South Vietnam. Many veterans who qualify were not directly involved with that specific conflict, however, leading many to debate whether or not they deserve the same treatment as former troops that served in the war itself.

“A lot of the people that helped with Vietnam weren’t necessarily there. They were behind the lines helping,” Kunz said. “I think they still deserve some kind of distinction for their service.”

The possibility for this raised awareness of the Vietnam War to create a resurgence of interest in the 1960s is present, but mostly depends on the popularity of these events and groups of people they reach. If the attention of students can be raised, local com-

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memorations will enjoy much greater attention and success.

The decade will gain popularity ,“if it reaches the right demographic,” Owen Craddock said. Indeed, only time will tell the impact made by these commemorations.

The knowledge gained from discussion of the subject prompted many of those interviewed to consider attending local events, but even those unable to go were impacted by the questions asked.

“To be honest, I probably will not attend any local anniversary commemoration events. It would be extremely difficult to fit it into my schedule, but I might shoot my grandpa some texts thanking him for his service,” Pundt said.

It is the hope of organizers to gain support and success, but the veterans themselves will humbly benefit from these things above all others. Americans now have the opportunity to show their appreciation and to bestow the well-deserved honor that can heal the pain of the past.

Entertainment

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

DSHS Showstoppers

Emily Curran Staff Writer

On Thursday, October 13, the DSHS Choir performed their Fall Show in the auditorium with an almost full house.

The choir had been working long and hard for this show and its outcome. “We’ve been preparing since the first day of school,” said Choir Director Tom Gabrielson. “Definitely seeing the end result of all our hard work is my favorite part,” he added.

As it seems, the members of choir truly love what they do. “I love singing and music,” said senior McKenna Dunk.

“I too like singing,” said senior Michael Thornton. In addition to just the love of singing, choir members also bond during all of the rehearsals they put into for their performances.

“It feels like we’re in Glee and we can goof off before,” said sophomore Maddi Newcomb.

“There are so many inside jokes,” Dunk added.

“The performance makes rehearsals worth it. I really like performing,” said Thornton.

Although the performance was grand, choir members did voice a few things to change if they could do it over.

“Definitely a few songs,” Newcomb said. While the songs were fun to listen to, members expressed that the African Tribal

songs were difficult to sing and the notes were hard to reach. “I would memorize the words,” said Dunk. You couldn’t tell from the audience, but panic was in the minds of a few teens that knew melodies but not lyrics.

Overall, the pieces most well done, pleasant to listen to, and pleasant to sing were Lascia Ch’io Piango from the Opera Rinaldo, Drive My Car by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and Homeland

by Gustav Holst, all performed by a choir who love what they do.

The Walking Deaths

Power Rangers Kaitlyn West Staff Writer

The excitement for the new movie, Power Rangers, is building up! These new Power Rangers are definitely not like the ones you loved as a child, but they look on point.

The trailer to this action packed movie is mind-blowing. It drew all of my attention in from the music they chose to the characters themselves. The characters live a normal life, most of which have a hard time. But, then all five of their lives change completely when they come across a restricted area with secrets hidden within. They then transform from normal teenagers to having super powers! Who would not want to see more of that?

Gamers... Get Your Wallets Ready

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Who Blew Up the Death Star?

Nifa Kaniga

Entertainment Editor

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is probably the biggest event any Star Wars fan is anticipating right now. Bigger than Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Lucasfilm has given us a peek of the more nitty-gritty war side of Star Wars.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is definitely before the Rebellion Era of Episode VI, but after the Clone Wars Era of Episode III. There is a scene in Episode VI where they ask where they got the plans for the Death Star, and there is a reference to the call sign “Rogue One”. Now we get to see what lead to the events of Episode VI. Like said above, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story seems to be showing off the war side of Star Wars, and even though Darth Vader is making a reappearance, we can assume that there will be less, if not none, of the lightsaber duels and jedi in general.

From piecing together the trailers, the story focuses on a girl named Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), whose father (Mads Mikkelsen) is a mastermind capable of designing the Death Star. He is taken by the Empire and Jyn is left to raise herself, turning to crime. In her teens, she is arrested by the Empire for “forgery of Imperial documents, possession of stolen property, aggravated assault, and resisting arrest.” Years later a rebellion leader Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) sends a team to break Jyn out of prison, where they later interrogate her. They know that the Empire is planning something, and know that her father is behind it, maybe connecting her father to the early

rebellion. Then they all band together to steal the plans to the Death Star and maybe find Jyn’s father.

Let’s talk about those Stormtroopers though! I think I lost it when I saw the sleek and tactical black design of the Death Squad Trooper. Then there were the Tank Troopers in the market riding around in their hover tank.

Then the Scarab Troopers running reminded me of the Scout Troopers. All of these show us the specializations of stormtroopers and hopefully they are for use and not for show.

The team members spark an interest as well. Out of the three cool guys— make that two because Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) isn’t shown in any of the posters, already foreshadowing an early death—Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) is the most interesting, seen in the teaser trailer beating Stormtroopers down with… a stick. Yep. No lightsaber, no blaster—well he has a crossbow, but he beats and entire squad of troopers down with a stick. Then there are the quotes of the force and the facts that he’s blind. A blind, force-sensitive, martial artist who wields a stick and crossbow. We can assume that Chirrut isn’t actually a jedi or can use the force for telekinesis, but knows about and uses the force to see.

They better do something with Darth Vader (Spencer Wilding). Again, use not show. There’s a vibe that when the iconic villain makes his appearance, he won’t have much of anything to say or do. Just for nostalgia to get the movie-goers rowdy and suck in skeptics who don’t really care about the war side of the franchise to see the movie.

Please! USE not SHOW!

starwarsnewsnet.com Rogue One: A Star Wars Story introduces new characters into the franchise: Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), Captain Cassain Andor (Diego Luna), Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen), Death Squad Stormtroopers, and Scarab Stormtrooper.

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CREATIVE

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

PHOTO POEM - BY NOAH GREEN

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SPORTS

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

Varsity volleyball Team wins district Kayleigh Dodson Staff Writer

Same Dream, Different Team On October 26, the crowd swarmed the court as the high school volleyball team won their district and secured their spot in the playoffs. Last year, the Dripping Springs volleyball team won the State Championship after six years of fighting. That same year, nine girls, five of those being starters, graduated high school and are now playing in college. While the remaining players have jumped right back into playing, many had been skeptical of this “new team’s” capability.

It’s clear they proved everyone wrong, however, their fight is far from over.

“To come back from winning state last year,” varsity freshman Avery Kalsu said, “we’re expected to do just as well. It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s also a lot of fun.”

Kalsu’s position puts her as a sort of quarterback of the team, along with a few other players like Graceyn Tippens and Karen Crews. This must be odd for the upperclassmen, however

Kalsu said they were all very accepting.

Tippens, a junior on varsity, hopes that this year people’s expectations will rise, and that the low expectations “motivate you to do better” because of their overwhelming desire to prove the doubters wrong. The team finished district undefeated to earn their fifth title in a row.

“We work really hard. Everyone has a lot of heart and cares a lot. I know this team can do it,” Tippens said. “It just takes determination and you have to appreciate all the time you get in the gym.”

Ava Pritchard, a junior middle blocker and a starting player on varsity, said that this year was sort of a “rebuilding period” after losing so many players. Regardless of the losses, the DSHS team came back with a fire in their hearts.

“We’re just trying to not have what we had last year,” Pritchard said. “But we’re trying to make it as good as it can be. It’s different this year.”

Michael Kane, head coach of volleyball, is “fueled by challenges”, and believes in his players, regardless of the fact that less people think they will be able to make it to the championship again. But with the motivation of the doubt urging them on, they were able to overcome the challenges.

“With this group, the talent that exists is making me want to show people that we can get back to the state tournament,” Kane said. “It wasn’t a one time deal, or one group of kids. It’s bigger than that.”

Photo by Blu Patterson, staff photographer Junior middle blocker Ava Pritchard receives a set from junior Emma O’Grady in their win against Kerrville Tivy 25-23, 25-13, 25-18.

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433 Sportsplex Dr #200 Dripping Springs, TX 78620

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November, 2016

MYDSHSNEWS

Varsity football Team qualifies for playoffs Tracy Staats

Contributing Writer

Dripping Springs Tigers beat Alamo Heights to improve to a 7-1 record. The Tigers have been working hard all season for this game that decides their post season fate.

“It was a great game and very intense,” junior Hi-Stepper Samantha Cisneros said.

Having a shot at going to playoffs has not happened in over a decade for the Dripping Springs Tigers.

“Making playoffs would be a big deal because it hasn’t happened in so long and we would all be so excited,” Cisneros said.

October is breast cancer awareness month and the Tigers had a special game designated to wear pink in honor of breast cancer.

“They were giving out free pink Tiger t-shirts in the student section,” Cisneros said.

While the Dripping Springs football team were wearing pink socks and sweat bands, the cheerleaders wore pink bows and the Hi-Steppers were performing with pink pompoms.

“I love performing with the pink pom-poms. They’re just so pretty and look good with our outfits on the field,” Cisneros said.

All and all the Tiger football team, Hi-Steppers, cheerleaders, and fans all enjoy representing and supporting “pink.”

“I’m glad that we get to have a game just for breast cancer awarness,” Cisneros said.

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November, 2016

UP TO THE MINUTE SPORTS NEWS >> Follow @myDSHSsports on Twitter.

SPORTS

Mr. Texas Football

Dripping Springs High School’s senior quarterback Reese Johnson became the all time single season yards from scrimmage leader in the school’s history after the 64-54 defeat of district opponent Alamo Heights Friday, October 21, breaking his brother, Kyle Johnson’s, record.

For his efforts, Reese has been nominated by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football for the award of Mr. Texas Football for his dominating performance in the district games that sent the Tigers into the playoffs. With only two games remaining against Medina Valley away and Marble Falls Photo by Hunter Gentry, staff photographer at home, the leader will take the ofSenior quarterback Reese Johnson drops back during the team’s first game of the fense into the postseason putting up year at Bastrop High School. Johnshon broke his brother’s yards from scrimmage high numbers. record in the recent win over Alamo Heights.

XC at Regionals

Wrestling Schedule

After the varsity boys cross country team finished 2nd, the girls 3rd at District, they headed to Regionals in Corpus Christi over last weekend. These runners competed:

November

Boys John Babiak Nate Blevins Nathan Clark Willie Johnson Bryce Kalsu Zack Kovar Polo Lopez Grant O’Neil

Girls Emeline Arnold Sydney Burtch Aubrie Caldwell Sydney Cole Camille Corona Maddy McCraw Alyssa Schroeder Danielle Schroeder Anna Faivre Lily Hudson Izzie Guerro

16 HUTTO*/SANMARCOS 18-19 Capitol Classic

December

2-3 Big Horn Duals 7 Lake Travis 10 Rough Rider Invitational 16 Hill Country Duals 17 Hill Country Invite

February

1 Texas School for the Deaf 4 Bulldawg Duals 10 District 13 Tournament 17-18 Regionals 24-25 State Championship *District 13 Duals HOME DUALS

January

6-7 CFISD Tournamanet 11 Cedar Park* & McNeil 14 Russ Pederson 18 SA JOHNSON/MCNEIL 20-21 Gillespie Duals 25 Georgetown* 28 Vandegrift/Rouse*

WRESTLERS: Ben Owens, Ryland Kinard, and Clayton Jetton

Watch “Fanstand ‘16: Dripping Springs Tigers Mixtape (Week Nine v. Alamo Heights)” on YouTube by @snoopdaniel with reporting and contribution by senior Kylie Ballard. Follow both on Twitter for Tiger varsity football updates and scores as well as more mixtapes of all of the action on Friday nights.

Watch past and future contests at YouTube.com