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Dripping Springs varsity football suffers a three point loss to Austin High

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The Dripping Springs Tigers varsity football team (1-1) suffered a close 17-14 loss against the Austin High Maroons (2-0) at Tiger Stadium on Friday, September 4th.

Despite the loss, Tigers defensive coordinator Chris King said the team played well.

“I feel like they executed the gameplan that we had put in place,” he said. “And I was really proud of the way they battled for four quarters.”

That plan included taking away the Maroons’ prefered method of attack.

“Austin high is a team that likes to throw the ball a lot,” King said. ”And I feel like we took that away from them.”

King feels there are few things the team could have done differently.

“If there was one thing we could have done better it would be adjusting to playing a heavy run oriented game,” he said.

Despite having to work through some challenges on the field as a team, a few key players were able to overcome these hurdles and assist their team.

“Connally Waight had a big interception and Alex Dance had a huge sac that caused a fumble,” King said. “Both happening at times when it felt like Austin High was starting to get some momentum.”

King seemed to think that next week’s game against Bastrop will pose a new set of challenges.

“Bastrop has a total different offense than Austin High,” King said. “We’ve got to change our mentality and be able to adjust to what they do offensively.
“I think we will do a better job of tackling and that will give us a better chance to win.”

Written by Graysen Gilbraith

Sports Editor

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Burns: “Tiger Day a success”

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IMG_1823Dripping Springs High School had its second annual Tiger Day on August  26, where students participated in lectures throughout the day that reminded them  of the concepts and values that represent DSHS.

High School Principal Joe Burns believes that the second ever Tiger Day accomplished it’s goals.

“I think Tiger Day, overall, was a success,” Burns said.

Even though it went well, they are considering some changes aiming to improve  Tiger Day for next year.

“I think we need to differentiate the lessons for each grade level. Another idea we have is to move the lessons to earlier in the day so students who have off-periods can still hear and participate in the lectures,” explained Burns.

Students like Sophomore Brandon McAlister believe that Tiger Day has an impact on students, but some aspects could be improved.

“I feel like for all the upperclassmen and sophomores, Tiger Day is just drilling old information with a new addition here and there, but overall some of the lessons are a little unnecessary,” he said.

He feels that lessons such as dress code are a little unnecessary and should only be brought up if there were changes made.

“The freshmen should get all the lessons as just one big reminder,” McAlister stated. “But the lessons should narrow down each year to only encompass the new things and then be presented  to the sophomores, juniors, and seniors”

For freshmen like Tucker Sawyer, Tiger Day is a day where students learn the characteristics needed to be successful.

“It’s a day where we focus on the traits of a true Tiger,” he said.

To Sawyer, Tiger Day is a day where the school shows how much they care about everybody and how much they want students to have a beneficial  year.

“It’s like the school reminding us that they care and they want to make it fun for us,” he said.

Some students, like sophomore Kaden Edwards,  want to change the structure of Tiger Day completely.

“I would like to scrap Tiger Day completely because we know the characteristics expected for this school,” he said. “Maybe keep it for all the freshmen, but for everyone else it’s just a waste of a potentially productive school day.”

He believes that it is important that the freshmen hear all the lessons, but not for the other grade levels.

“The other grades [non-freshmen] have already learned these lessons and have been over it too many times to learn anything else,” explained Edwards. “Keep Tiger Day for the freshmen but let the other grade levels go on with their day.”

Burns knows that changes are needed. He and the rest of the school staff will do their best to make these changes for next year.

“Again, we are going through and editing and looking at what we should learn from our shortcomings, but philosophically we believe it is working and we will continue to improve each year,” Burns said.

Written by J.T. Dahill
Staff Writer

Entertainment, Home

Fall TV Preview

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Jaxson Thornton
Jaxson Thornton: Opinion and Entertainment Editor

Some say we live in the Golden Age of TV. They say that there has never been a time of greater cinematographic achievement, both on the big screen and the home screen. To put in frankly, they’re right!

This Fall we will all be happily glued to our screens once again as the collection of mind blowing new programs and anticipation for the newest seasons of our favorite shows rises. From sitcoms, to thrillers, right back around to variety shows, the Fall TV season is packed with a great lineup of shows.

Let’s start with returning hits: This Fall will see the season premiers of “The Walking Dead” (Season 6, Oct. 11), “Arrow” (Season 4, Oct. 7), “The Flash” (Season 2, Oct. 6), “The League” (Season 7, Sep. 9), “South Park” (Season 19, Sep. 16), “The Big Bang Theory” (Season 9, Sep. 21), “Gotham” (Season 2, Sep. 21), and many more including “The Last Man on Earth”, “Homeland”, “Supernatural”, and last but certainly not least, “Doctor Who”.

While there are many of fantastic shows returning for their next seasons that I would LOVE to talk about for hours, I would like to use this article to speak about the slate of new shows being tossed at us over the next month.

Notable new shows include: “The Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris”, a variety show that we really don’t know a whole lot about! It premieres September 15th, and other than the few teasers we’ve seen that include tons of crazy scenes and pranks and so forth, we’re in the dark!

“The Muppets” returns with a new primetime series on ABC September 22nd. From an unbiased, completely grounded opinion… I am COMPLETELY stoked. This show grasps at the remaining straws of primetime television integrity in a world of dumb crime shows between pointless game shows.

And finally, the grand finally of Fall television that will hopefully be the birth of a new nightly show era, Trevor Noah takes over “The Daily Show” on September 28th. Trevor Noah, the South African host-to-be, has some metaphorically large shoes to fill (Jon Stewart isn’t a big guy…), but Jon Stewart is confident that his chosen proteges will only improve the show’s legacy. Quite frankly, so am I. I have no doubt that Trevor Noah will hit his stride in no time and steal me back from the grasps of Jimmy Fallon’s nightly kingdom.

So there you have it, a Fall filled with a promising new line up and very strong returning schedule. No doubt we will all have some new favorites going into the Spring. Now, who wants to talk about what’s coming in theaters?

Written By Jaxson Thornton
Opinion Editor

Entertainment, Home

New to DSHS: Homecoming Dance

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Seniors Chloe Holmes and Alexa Moreland head the Homecoming Dance
Seniors Chloe Holmes and Alexa Moreland head the Homecoming Dance

Thanks to the Hi-Steppers and their director Tracy Neef, the traditional Homecoming Dance returns to Dripping Springs High School this year! From 8 PM to 12 AM on September 26th, get ready to dance your heart out in the DSHS cafeteria.

“We haven’t had a homecoming dance for about six years,” said Neef. “But the Hi-Steppers felt really strongly about bringing it back for school spirit and to have something that the whole student body can be a part of.”

The Hi-Steppers want our school to have the same experience of a homecoming dance that other high schools have.

“A lot of other schools have a homecoming dance” added Senior Alyssa Gilbert, a member of the Hi-Steppers. “And we are probably the only ones that don’t have one, so we feel that we should probably bring the tradition back.”

After a poll on facebook, which faced five themes up against each other, the “blackout” theme proved victorious by one vote.

“Most of the dance will be in the dark, but we have black lights to accentuate the neon colors,” Neef added. “So everything will glow, we will have glow sticks, sort of a club scene rave. We will have blinking rings and jewelry and stuff like that.”

There will be props, confetti, silly strings, a slow motion booth and a great DJ has already been booked.

“Why not come?” asked Gilbert. “It’ll be fun!”

The party isn’t limited to the cafeteria, though. Student bands will be playing in the amphitheater as well.

“So we have different feel outside than there is inside,” Neef said. “It should give everybody a variety of things to do”.

Be sure to wear a color that reacts with the black lights! But remember to stay appropriate.

“It doesn’t have to be quite as conservative as the school dress code, but they would like everybody to be covered,” Neef explains.

Alyssa Gilbert gives one last piece of advice.

“Just, don’t care! Just have fun. Enjoy it!” she said.

Written by Prune Savelli
Staff writer

Home, Opinion

OPINON: Students have the power to help victims of Syrian conflict

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IMG_1391Syria, a small nation in the Middle East, is currently in the midst of a massive civil war, one that has been brewing since 2011, and has finally managed to spill over in the past couple of years. What began with a group of protesters raging peacefully against the government establishment for maltreating 15 schoolchildren has erupted into nationwide war against the president, Bashar al-Assad, by rebel forces.

The conflict has since evolved from a relatively simple for-or-against the presidency to a dangerous fight that includes IS, an extremist Islamic group, the UK, and the US military forces.
However, the real cost of this war is not the damaged political systems, nor the chemical weaponry that is reported to have been used. It’s the civilians. And in particular, the children.

Over 4 million people have left their home country, becoming legal refugees by order of the UN, and over half of them are children. The war has targeted healthcare centers and schools, leaving another 7 million that are internally displaced without proper health services to take care of their children. Those that fled have taken refuge in many of the neighboring countries, but in many of those countries, the infrastructure cannot sustain such a huge influx of people, and many are still living in derelict conditions.

This is, and has been, a huge humanitarian crisis, reportedly the biggest since the Rwandan genocide about 20 years ago. But it doesn’t seem like the world is paying it much mind. Actually, and especially over here in the US, I’d be willing to bet most of us didn’t even know something of this scale was even occurring.

But I don’t fault us for that. We live in a society that is one of the most ethnocentric in the entire world, always has been. A lot of us grew up thinking the American way was the only way, and this has hugely shaped our worldview. We laugh and make fun (though lightly, I’m sure) of people who mispronounce words because their accents are slightly foreign. Ethnic food here consists of Americanized Chinese food, Americanized Italian food, Americanized Mexican food, the list goes on. Most of the Internet is written in English.

Most of the way we’ve grown up really is without knowledge of what’s really happening in the world, and it seems that people are fine with that. But what’s ironic about that is that we also live in a world where most, if not all, of the information we could ever want is right at our fingertips. It allows us to be able to connect with the entire world from any one place on the planet, a truly awesome feat. And we can use that.

It’s important that we educate ourselves. Things are happening in the world, big things, and there are ways we, supposedly lowly high school students, can help. We’re not powerless to the world around us anymore. Syria’s children are crying for help.
Let’s see how loudly we can answer them.

How to help: go online to https://www.mercycorps.org/donate/syria
Or to find out more: go online to http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/16979186

Written by Tricia-Marie Thomas (’16)
Contributing writer

Entertainment, Home

Cast and crew prepare for upcoming Romeo and Juliet play

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Romeo and JulietOn October 29th through November 1st, the Dripping Springs High School Theater department will be performing the famous biennial play: Romeo and Juliet. As their first play of the season, it is sure to impress, with the amount of effort that the staff and actors are putting in.

“Right now we’re doing a lot of table work and reading before we actually get up and start doing the show,” Rachael Koske, head of the theater department, said.

Before starting practice, the cast must study Shakespeare’s language to be able to communicate with one another.

“It takes a little bit longer in the rehearsal process when you’re working with Shakespeare, especially with younger actors who haven’t had as much time with it because the language is more dense,” Koske admits. “It is English. We know that, but it is a little bit more dense because it has so much figurative language, metaphors, and imagery in it.”

The lead roles have been given to Joey Kelley, playing Romeo, and Monica Oliva, playing Juliet.

“I’ve never done Shakespeare before so it’s a lot of new things that are happening,” Oliva said. “But it’s really fun and I’m excited to see what happens and what I’ll learn from it.”

Meanwhile, Kelley uses his past experience and interest in Shakespeare to his advantage. “I’ve done two other Shakespearean shows before,” he said. “Honestly, I feel like those were preparation for this one.”

Everyone plans to work seriously to have the best show possible with a vast variety of contributors, new and old.

“We have great staff in place and great students in place whom are working under them as student designers and student coordinators, and stage managers” Koske said.

Oliva and Kelley accept the overbearing responsibility with courage and determination.

“Once you find out what you’ve gotten yourself into, there’s no turning back. It’s hard, yes, but it’s do-able and it’s been done,” Oliva said.

Written by Nifa Kaniga

Staff Writer

Home, sports

JV, freshman football win first games of the season

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IMG_0316The Dripping Springs junior varsity and freshman teams had an explosive start to the new season Thursday, August 27, winning all four opening games against Del Valle.

The Tigers were predicted to do well against the Cardinals by head coach Galen Zimmerman, along with the rest of the coaching staff.

“The first JV game started off a little slow,” said Zimmerman. “But the last three quarters were really good.”

While the game may have started off slow, JV Gold, led by quarterback Trevor Greenman, was determined to win this important game.

“I expected us to play well,” sophomore Greenman said.

Even though the team’s personal goals had been surpassed, the coaching staff agreed that there are always things that can be further improved upon.

“Everything,” said Zimmerman. “I hope we’re not anywhere close to as good as we’re going to be.”

Improvement is a given – as well as a necessity – for these young teams, but freshman Tanner Prewitt didn’t let this fact deflate his confidence.

“It was exciting when the competition was a lot harder,” said Prewitt.

The students within this organization were all able to come together as one under this immense pressure and prove why they deserved to win these starting games.

“Anytime you win as big as they did, it’s a team effort”, Zimmerman said.

Written by Morgan Gusella

Sports Staff Writer

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Tigers Football Defeats Del Valle 41-7

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Photo by Spencer Gnauk
Photo by Spencer Gnauk

The Dripping Springs Tigers Varsity Football Team came out on top at their season opener versus Del Valle Friday night, finishing the game with a score of 41-7. 

Few expected the Tigers to win, but the players were able to prove otherwise. 
“We came out well and we played hard,” Tigers offensive coordinator Daniel Foster said.
The tigers took charge from the beginning of the game, and remained in command the entire game. 
“Going up fast 21-0 was really a confidence booster for us,” Foster said. “We are a young team and we harped about coming out fast and the kids did exactly what we asked.”
Foster said the team played well on both sides of the ball. 
“The defensive line did an awesome job,” he said. “Defense pretty much had it shut out the whole time. I don’t think they had any positive yards.”
According to Foster, the offensive line, the self-proclaimed “war pigs,” worked well as a unit all night long.
“They had a great game moving that line of scrimmage,” he said. “When a team scores 41 points and only allows seven, there is really not one specific person you can say stood out well.”
Although the team is very excited about winning its season opener, that first win will now only be regarded as water under the bridge. 
“We placed the mindset of being 1 and 0 each week, so right now we are just 0 and 0,” said Foster. “Last week’s game is behind us and this week’s game is in front of us. We can only build on what we did last week.”
This upcoming Friday will be the Tigers first home game, and new traditions can be expected this season on home grounds.
“When the players walk out after they put on their pads, we are doing this thing called ‘tiger walk,'” Foster said. “We want fans, kids, everyone lined up from the entryway of the locker room all the way to the stadium where they walk onto the field to welcome the guys.”
The Dripping Springs Tiger Football Team wants to involve the community more than ever this year and tiger walk will help to grow that ‘community feel’ that they are striving for.
“It is going to be shoulder to shoulder the entire line down,” Foster said. “Support your team, hug your brother, kiss your son, get these kids ready. Get the community behind them and let them know that we are here for them.”
Written by Graysen Gilbraith

Sports Editor