The Dryden Red and Black
January 19, 2021
Happy New Year!
As 2021 began, health department orders preventing in person meetings for high school students expired. Students had the option to return to face-to-face learning on January 4. While some students remained virtual and logged in to classes from home, the majority of Dryden Junior/Senior High School students returned to the building in person from January 4 to 15. Yesterday, it was announced that classes would be meeting virtually until January 26. For more information about the current virtual schedule, click here.
Overall, those who responded to a request for their thoughts were happy about the reinstatement of face-to-face classes. “I like it much better, because it is easier to focus and understand things,” said 7th grader Cara Prusakiewicz. “Hopefully,” she added, “we will stay in-person through the rest of the year.” Other students echoed her opinion. Kaeleigh Gourieux (7th grade), Alicia Jones (7th grade), Aiden Fitchett (9th grade), and Madison Lacroix (9th grade), were all happy to see their friends and teachers in person. Preston Kuligowski (8th grade) thinks that in person learning is much better. Although she was not a fan of getting up early, 7th grader Caila Fitchett said she enjoyed seeing “all of my friends face to face and not online.” Sophomore Evan Shirling, however, wishes schooling had stayed virtual because he “can work a lot better online.” Evan did get his wish this week!
Every new year comes with a fresh start. Many people have set New Year’s Resolutions and hope for changes before calendar changes to 2022. Both 8th grader Sebastian Rager and 7th grader Rowan Handley want to see the end of COVID while Mrs. Cronkright hopes to turn on the television and see that “the news is boring again.” Ninth grader Jason Richardson is focusing his efforts on academic work and moving on to 10th grade.
Looking ahead to the rest of the year, Mrs. Marta anticipates “a normal school year” and expressed the need to have “local businesses open (including restaurants) so that a feeling of normalcy returns to our lives.” Virtual students Sebastian Rager and Jason Richardson can’t wait to see their friends in person again.
No one can predict what the rest of 2021 will hold, but all are happy to see the door closed on 2020.
Senior Seminar Speakers
Saginaw Valley State University
by Ella Kage
Last week, our Senior Seminar class was very fortunate to listen to a speaker from Saginaw Valley State University. The speaker gave a very high quality presentation, and I was super interested in what she had to say because SVSU is one of the colleges on my list. I had many questions, and she answered all of them! It is nice to have a better insight on this college now.
I really appreciated how she started the presentation talking about a person’s “deal breaker” when choosing a college. Then she would discuss everything offered at SVSU that might be a dealbreaker for someone! With her doing this, it really kept the class engaged. It is unfortunate that we have to meet online due to the pandemic, but even so, I am grateful to have still learned a lot about Saginaw Valley State University.
One of the first things that was discussed in this presentation was academics. Academics is most people’s first priority when choosing a college. She gave a lot of good information on the undergraduate programs, as well as graduate programs offered at SVSU. I am interested in studying psychology/social work and I am glad that I got more information on the program offered there.
Another thing that the speaker discussed with us was life at Saginaw Valley State University. She talked about the many activities and clubs to get involved with on campus. She also discussed that students at SVSU get a one on one learning experience, and are able to develop good relationships with their professors because the class sizes are relatively smaller. When discussing the size and location of a college, I think that SVSU would be a great fit for me because I would like to be relatively closer to home, and not somewhere where I might be overwhelmed with how large the university is. So with that being said, a far location from home is a dealbreaker for me!
I want to thank the guest speaker for taking time out of her day to speak to our Senior Seminar about Saginaw Valley State University. I can easily say that I walked away from the presentation knowing a lot more about this university. Next step… a college tour!
Northwood University
Erin Paton
This specific speaker was definitely different than most. She led a much more interactive presentation which made it easier to stay involved with what she was saying to us. The first half of her presentation was all about communication. It was about how it is really important as life goes on as well as how to make sure our communication skills are where they need to be. I really liked the topic of communication because I can definitely struggle with making sure I know everything and making sure everyone else of importance knows as well.
I specifically remember the part about hard and soft skills. She described how hard skills are extremely learnable and more than likely have to do with a specific activity. On the other hand, she explained how soft skills are a bit harder to learn because they are more like human nature skills that we develop as we live our lives. So when thinking of communication it could go either way (hard skill or soft skill). So especially with everything going on in our lives, it is super important to make sure that we have strong communication skills.
All in all, I thought this speaker was very beneficial to our class because she gave us many tips that will be extremely helpful in the next couple of years. I thought she did a really good job explaining to us both the importance of communication but also how to assure that you have strong communication skills.
Wayne State University
by Alexis Schuhrke
Hearing from Jess Hernandez, our speaker from Wayne State University really put a better perspective of the college on my mind. It is in my top three choices of colleges so far and I was really excited to learn more about it.
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the third largest in the state with 13 colleges and 350 programs that students could choose to major in. Wayne has always interested me because it is so diverse. It has so many different people from places all over the world with so many different cultures. I feel like that is a huge part of college for me personally. I want to meet other people that have different experiences and backgrounds than I do.
With so many programs to choose from at Wayne State University, another thing that interested me about it is the nursing programs that they offer. I would like to go into healthcare when I am older, and as of right now the best past for me seems to be nursing. They offer many different programs and things you can specialize in when getting your Master’s degree or Doctorate. One of the programs that they have is the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Master’s degree and that is something I have always been interested in.
Wayne State University is also huge in getting involved on campus. They have more than 500 student organizations that students can choose from, as well as being in a vibrant city right next to Downtown Detroit where there are so many places to go, hang out, and eat.
Wayne State seems like a great college, with good academics and a beautiful campus. It is up there in my college choices and I see all the advantages there are of attending Wayne State University.
Western Michigan University
by Claire Sobek
Taylor McGinnis, a speaker from Western Michigan University, spoke to our class through zoom to talk about her college. I had never heard of WMU before this presentation so I found it interesting to learn about a new option to apply to. In her presentation, she talked about what is offered at Western Michigan University, as well as what it would be like to attend that school.
During the presentation, the speaker talked about a lot of different things. One thing that I
found interesting was the fact that the school offers over 150 undergraduate majors, and that they also have seven different academic colleges. The reason that I found this so interesting is that one of the most important things to look at when choosing a college to go to is whether they offer something that you are actually interested in studying. Because WMU offers so many different majors, it makes it a better option for a lot of people.
Another thing that the speaker talked about was the cost of attending the college. The yearly tuition not including any additional costs, such as room and board, is $13,017.
I enjoyed the opportunity to learn about a college that I have never heard of before. Although I will not be applying to the college, it was still interesting to hear about what the college offers.
Sports
Girls Basketball
While schools are going back and forth between virtual learning and face-to-face classes, winter sports have had to go with the flow and adapt to a very uncertain season. For the teams at Dryden, this has meant cancelling and rescheduling games and practices, and missing out on most of a season that should have started back in the late fall/early winter.
As we head into the second half of January, and Dryden High School goes back to another week of online schooling, the girls basketball teams have been working hard to still have a safe and fun season. When it comes to practice, this means face masks, temperature checks and sanitation before entering the gym, and social distancing on the court whenever possible. This certainly isn't the season the girls may have hoped for, but in times like this all we can do is stay hopeful, persistent, and most importantly, safe.
Currently the rosters for the JV and Varsity girls basketball teams are:
JV
Ava DeVlaminck
Delaney Wolle
Mackenzie Theobald
Sophia Peter
Lauren Abromaitis
Olivia Stickler
Aubrey Ledford
Varsity
Ella Kage
Riley Knox
Alexis Schuhrke
Natalie Embree
Olivia Miller
Miya Wolff
Rilynn Lindsay
Give our kids some smiling faces in the stands at their upcoming games!
Order yours now at https://tinyurl.com/dryden-fan.
$30 per sign OR
$35 per sign which includes autographs from a Dryden sports team (any level and any sport)
Signs stay up in stands through the winter basketball season (for all levels) and will be returned to the purchaser at the end of the season.
The Cardinals are on the NFHS Network!
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, January 20
1/2 Day - Exams - High School - 7:25 AM to 10:35 AM
1/2 Day - Elementary - 8:30 AM to 12:10 PM
Athletic Boosters Meeting - 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM (High School Library)
Thursday, January 21
1/2 Day - Exams - High School - 7:25 AM to 10:35 AM
1/2 Day - Elementary - 8:30 AM to 12:10 PM
Friday, January 22
1/2 Day - Exams - High School - 7:25 AM to 10:35 AM
1/2 Day - Elementary - 8:30 AM to 12:10 PM
It Starts In Dryden
Alumni: We need you!
We're looking for Dryden graduates of any and all years to feature on our social media pages. Fill out the form here: https://goo.gl/forms/q9aZjWENFucIyxfx1
Yearbooks for sale
These 2008-2009 or 2012-2013 Dryden High School Yearbooks can be yours for just $10 each!
Contact Kim Fleming at KFleming@dryden.k12.mi.us
Riddle of the Week
Today’s riddle: What question can someone ask all day long, always get totally different answers, and yet all the answers could be correct?
Last issue’s riddle: You may catch me, but you cannot throw me. What am I?
Answer: A cold
Last issue’s winner: Cara Prusakiewicz
Want To Join The School Paper?
February 8, 2021
March 8, 2021
April 12, 2021
May 10, 2021
All meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.,
will be held in the Dryden High School Library,
and are open to the public.
Mark Your Calendars!
Check out the 2020-2021 Dryden Community Schools District Calendar here!
Random Student Spotlight
Luke Oliver
Our random student in the spotlight today is Luke Oliver! Luke is a seventh grader at Dryden High School. His favorite thing about Dryden is the people. In his free time, Luke enjoys playing video games and hanging out with friends. Luke plans on going to college to make videos and then work on becoming a preschool teacher. The hardest thing about Luke’s 2020 was his grandma sadly passing away.
Teagan O'Bryan
Today in our random student spotlight we have Teagan O'Bryan! Teagan is a Senior at Dryden High school. She has been in Dryden since her Freshman year, and her favorite thing about Dryden is the family-like feel. Teagan is the cheer captain, NHS president, Class Treasurer, and has been a part of XC and Track. At the Ed Tech building she is the DECA chapter president, Virtual Enterprise student ambassador, and is a part of NTHS. Outside of school, Teagan enjoys reading, cuddling with her dog, and hanging out with friends. After high school, Teagan plans on attending a university where she can dual major in Business Management and Environmental Studies. Teagan’s dream career is to be a CEO or sustainability director in Business Management so she can help encourage more eco-friendly practices within the business industry. Teagan says the most challenging thing about COVID had been dealing with and adapting to the unknowns. Teagan says we need to develop new strategies for living our lives in a safe manner, while still finding ways to enjoy what we love to do, which can be especially challenging when we are faced with so many potential unknown outcomes.
The Team
Ava DeVlaminck - Editor
Connor Wolff - Reporter
Nick Abromaitis - Reporter
Lily Finnigan - Reporter
Jason Richardson - Reporter
Email: SCzerwinski@dryden.k12.mi.us
Website: dryden.k12.mi.us
Location: Dryden High School, Rochester Road, Dryden, MI, USA
Phone: (810) 796-2266
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drydencommunityschools
Twitter: @DrydenSchools
Quote Of The Week
"Be happy, not because everything is good, but because you can see the good side of everything."
- Unknown
Joke of the Week
When it becomes apparent