INSIDE DSISD
The latest news from Dripping Springs ISD
Week of October 11, 2021
ALL-REGION CHOIR HONOREES
The Dripping Springs High School choir recorded strong performances in the first round of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State Choir auditions on Saturday, Oct. 9, at Bowie High School in Austin. Of the 28 DSHS students competing, 21 will perform in the All-Region Choir and 20 students will compete in the second round of auditions (pre-area) in November.
To earn a spot in the Region Choir and advance to pre-area auditions, students must place among the top competitors in each voice part; the number varies by the number of students auditioning in that category.
All-Region Honorees:
Soprano 1: Portia Schaeffer-Preston, Amelie Lawrence, Zoi Gilchrist, Isabel Fernandez
Soprano 2: Camryn Molfino, Anika Chalak, Ava Azua, Harley Hunt, Olivia Orsak
Alto 1: Abby Wingrin, Kaylee Cormack, Sloane Ruley, Michelle Hinojosa, Hannah Collins
Alto 2: Kate Nolen, Megan Aldridge
Tenor 1: Colin Tuohy
Tenor 2: Jonathan Jensen
Bass 1: Tate Anderson, Isaiah Hoffman
Bass 2: Brody Lane
AP SCHOLARS ANNOUNCED
Dripping Springs High School students performed extremely well on Advanced Placement (AP) exams administered in the spring of 2021, according to a report from the College Board.
Of the total exams taken by DSHS students, 71 percent of the tests received scores of 3, 4, or 5, which can earn credit at most colleges and universities. In 2021, 673 students were in at least one AP course and 861 AP exams were administered at Dripping Springs High School. In addition to AP opportunities offered at DSHS, many students take dual-enrollment courses that earn them high school and college credit simultaneously.
A total of 160 students from DSHS received recognition for their exceptional achievement on Advanced Placement (AP) exams administered last spring; some of those honored are current seniors and some are 2021 graduates.
AP Scholar Awards are presented on several different levels based on average score on the exams and the cumulative number of tests taken. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on AP Exams.
The AP Scholar with Distinction Award was earned by 19 current DSHS students who scored an average of 3.5 or higher on all AP exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more tests. Dripping Springs High School had 17 current students named AP Scholars with Honor, which means they received an average score of at least 3.25 on all exams, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more. A total of 49 DSHS current students were honored as AP Scholars, a status that is granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.
Only current DSHS students are listed below; graduated students are not.
AP Scholars With Distinction:
Audrey Balsdon, Mason Bloomgren, Karsten Bobb, Evelyn Bristol, Kalea Caldwell, Evelyn Chis, Grant Clarno, Sophia Fisher, Jack Folsom, Dominic Gearing, Aidan Johannsen, Teagan Krewson, Lily Kroll, Emma Maebius, Kenneth Melton, Katherine Mihaly, James Mihic, Matthew Patrick, Aysa Yadlowsky
AP Scholars with Honor:
Tate Anderson, Isabella Botticelli, Benjamin Circe, Evyn Fallon, Brynn Fields, Madelyn Foster, Jesus Gonzalez-Albeja, Jenna Hodsden, Weston Kirk, Emily Kolach, Anton Miller-Thomas, Tirth Patel, Reed Pennock, Sophia Portillo, Sydney Richard, Tate Staker, Katelyn Trlica
AP Scholars:
Alan Anderson, Luke Austin, Hashim Aziz, Ainsley Ballard, Jackson Barbato, Maya Bisett, Carys Blackmon, Makenna Blakesley, Teresa Brod, Billy Burnet, Avery Cagle, Julia Carter, John Clewett, Parker Cooke, Eli Craddock, Chloe Dane, Julie Davis, Addison Dixon, Ian Driggers, Grayson Dunham, Hayden Dunn, Karenna Edwards, Lindsay Egger, Ariana Flores, Aaron Gangoso, Katherine Ginther, Julia Grant, Ramsey Hutton, Bailey Inglish, Ian Jones, Lindsey Kastner, Shaun Kurian, Celeste Lohman, William Maghielse, Merick Mahorsky, Anya McCallum, Caroline Nix, Joshua Oliphant, Joseph Parsons, Vivek Ramdhar, Isabella Roske, Gideon Schlab, Kinsey Silcox, Katherine Tressler, Athena Turner, Ethan Turner, Arysta Visser, Edwin Weyrauch, Marshall Williams
College Board Recognized Scholars
In addition to the National Merit semifinalist and 13 Commended Scholars who were previously announced, several other Dripping Springs High School students have been recognized by the College Board as part of the annual National Merit program.
This year's National Hispanic Scholars (*), National African-American Scholars (#), National Indigenous Scholars (%), and National Rural and Small Town Scholars (^) include many Dripping Springs High School seniors. To qualify for a National Scholar designation, students must have a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher (approximately 87.5 on 100-point scale), have either scored in the top 10 percent on the PSAT or earn a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP exams by their junior year, and identify as one of the designated categories. Students will be considered for the Rural and Small Town Recognition Program based on the location of their high school; areas are considered rural and small town based on location data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Students can qualify for multiple recognition programs.
Recognized Scholars:
Corbin Adcox^, Tate Anderson^*, Ella Azua^*, Gwendolyn Bailey^%, Alec Bargen^, Connor Belusar^, Samuel Belyea^*, Shane Bookbinder^, Grant Clarno^, Parker Cooke^*, Elizabeth Cox^, Ashley Cruz-Moores^*, Dylan Diamond^, Gabriella Erb^*, Evyn Fallon^*, Ariana Flores^, Eowyn Fushille^*, Hannah Gamez^*, Stormie Goldsmith^%, Jesus Gonzalez-Albejar^*, Alessandra Grijalva^, Margot Heltzel^, Jackson Householder^*, Jonathan Jensen^*, Savannah Karas^*, Graham Lord^*, Anya McCallum^, Boston Papp^*, Jonathan Parsons^%, Elizabeth Pena^*#, Luane Pizzo^*, Isabella Reyes^, Miles Romero^*, Nadia Saba^*, Sofia Sites^, Vinay Verma^, Kellen Vickery^%, Arysta Visser^, Deven Wobil^#
REGION CONTEST UP NEXT FOR TIGER BAND
The Tiger band has had a successful fall season, including a second-place finish at last weekend's Westlake Marching Festival and a third-place tie and Outstanding Visual Performance award in the Class AAA division at the Bands of America North Houston Regional Championship on Sept. 25.
FALL SPORTS UPDATE
Fall extracurricular seasons for Dripping Springs High School are either wrapping up soon or headed into postseason competition.
The DSHS varsity tennis team claimed a share of the district championship and captured the district’s number-one seed for playoffs based on tiebreakers. The Tigers earned a win over Georgetown East View High School in the bi-district round of the playoffs to capture a fifth straight bi-district title. DSHS will face San Antonio Southwest HS in the area round of the playoffs on Friday, Oct. 15, at 11 a.m. at the Alamo Heights Tennis Center in San Antonio.
The Tiger girls' and boys' cross country teams are scheduled to compete Thursday, Oct. 14, at the district meet in Seguin. Both squads advanced to the regional meet a season ago, and the girls’ team also captured a regional title and finished fourth at the state meet. The girls’ team enters the district meet as the sixth-ranked team among UIL Conference 5A schools in Texas.
The DSHS varsity volleyball team is currently 10-2 in district play, which is second place in the district standings. The Lady Tigers host Lehman High School in the final home match of the regular season on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 6:30 p.m., which will also be Senior Night. The Lady Tigers are currently ranked third in the state. The first round of UIL state playoffs will begin Monday, Nov. 1. Last year the Lady Tigers had an impressive run with a trip to the state semifinals while finishing 22-6 on the season.
The Tiger football team is 6-0 on the season, one of just seven teams in UIL Conference 5A, Division I to remain undefeated. The Tigers are the top-ranked 5A school in the Austin area according to the Austin American-Statesman. With four weeks remaining in the regular season, DSHS has two home games left on the schedule (Oct. 15 vs. Veterans Memorial HS; Oct. 29 vs. Buda Johnson HS). The Johnson HS game will be Senior Night for band members and Hi-Steppers. Football UIL state playoffs begin Thursday, Nov. 11, with the bi-district round.
NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS SAFETY WEEK
Oct. 18-22, 2021 is National School Bus Safety Week and Dripping Springs ISD asks all drivers to join the effort to help keep our students safe by observing school bus laws and displaying courtesy to buses and bus riders. This year’s theme is "Be Safe; Know the Danger Zone." This theme emphasizes the importance of teaching students and parents that there are three dangerous areas around a school bus where children have the greatest likelihood of not being seen by the driver: 10 feet in front of the bus where the driver may be too high to see a child, 10 feet on either side of the bus where a child may be in the driver’s blind spot, and the area behind the school bus.
National School Bus Safety Week is an active and evolving public education program and an excellent way for parents, students, teachers, motorists, school bus operators, school administrators, and other interested parties to join forces and address the importance of school bus safety. Dripping Springs ISD drivers transport approximately 3,800 students between home and school each day, and buses collectively drive more than 4,000 miles each day.
"In DSISD, our drivers take their role and responsibility seriously,” said Director of Transportation Pam Swanks. “They care deeply about our students and are committed to transporting them safely and efficiently to and from school each day. When motorists respect bus safety laws and exhibit extra caution around buses, it creates a safer environment for students."
Safety tips for bus riders are available on DSISD’s Transportation Department website. The National Association for Pupil Transportation offers these tips. Another helpful tip this time of year is a suggestion that students in the early morning hours have a flashlight with them to provide illumination while they are walking to the bus stop and waiting for the bus. Dripping Springs ISD also reminds drivers that it is illegal to talk or text on a cell phone in active school zones.