The Dryden Red and Black
November 11, 2020
Dryden Volleyball Wins 3rd Straight District Title!
On Friday, October 30, the Cardinals traveled to Deckerville to face the Deckerville Eagles in their last league game and won all three sets. Becca Weiss played a great game with 19 assists, 2 digs, and 2 kills. Erin Boettcher also did very well with 7 kills, 2 assists, and 2 digs. Alyssa Daoud had a great night as well with 5 kills, a block, and a dig.
On Monday, November 2, the Dryden Varsity Volleyball team started off their first round of districts at Kingston, playing against Kimball New Life Christian. They won all 3 sets to advance to the semifinals. Erin Boettcher played well with 10 kills and an assist, and Becca Weiss had an excellent game with 21 assists, 2 kills, a dig, and an ace. Ashley Hickmott also put up 3 kills, and a block of her own.
On Thursday, November 5th the Cardinals competed in the district semifinals at Kingston, and once again won all three sets. Becca Weiss had another great game with 32 assists, 5 kills, 3 digs, and a block. Erin Boettcher played really well with 18 kills, 2 blocks, and an assist. Alyssa Daoud and Abby Hurd both played good games, each with at least 4 kills, and a block.
Friday, November 6 was the District Championship game, where the Dryden Cardinals faced the Peck Pirates at Kingston. Our Lady Cardinals came out victorious, defeating Peck in all 3 sets. With this win, the girls earned their 3rd straight district title and secured a spot for regionals. All of the girls played great games and began looking ahead to the regional semifinal game at Mayville.
Good job to the Lady Cardinals for playing very well these past 4 games and congratulations on winning the District Finals! On November 10, the Cardinals will take on Midland Calvary Baptist for a chance to become a finalist in the regional championship. Good luck Cardinals!
Virtual College Fair
The Dryden High School Class of 2021 had the opportunity to visit with representatives from 45 colleges, universities, military branches, and other agencies on October 29---and they didn’t even leave the building.
Seniors participated virtually in the Regional College Fair hosted and organized by Mott Community College. They were able to attend multiple video chats with the representatives of their choice.
“Before going into the Regional College Fair,” said senior Gavin Fisher, “I had a very basic understanding of what colleges I may look into going to. But after doing it my perspectives were widened. I didn't realize how many colleges there really were and what many of them offered. Attending some of their seminars gave me a good idea of what I should expect when applying, eventually going to college, and what I should look for while finding that perfect post-secondary education. I am happy that I got the chance to still have a college fair, even considering all that is going on with COVID-19.”
Fellow senior Ella Kage agreed. “I was very fortunate enough to be able to participate in the college fair this past Thursday,” reflected Kage. “Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, it was not the typical in person college fair. However, I was super impressed with the amount of colleges that participated and I thought it ran very smoothly. It was very easy, even through Zoom, to listen and talk to one speaker from a certain college to the next. The college speakers that I talked with included Saginaw Valley State University and Oakland University. I enjoyed speaking with the SVSU speaker because she did not give an entire presentation, and instead let us ask any questions we had about the university. This was super helpful because I had many questions. She had answers to all our questions, and gave me a lot more insight on this college. I appreciated talking to her a lot. It is exciting that I have now learned so much more about the colleges I am interested in!!”
Classmate Riley Knox added, “Recently we had the opportunity to speak with many college representatives in the College Fair through Mott Community College. This was different than most years, but through Zoom we were able to make it happen. During this time I was able to speak to many representatives in a ten minute time span. Through this I was able to ask any questions and listen to them and the opportunities that their college offers. This was a creative way to continue this even through the pandemic.”
The Class of 2021 found value in attending the virtual sessions with college representatives. “It was a good experience for me,” said Lauren Weeder. “I learned a lot more about going into a Veterinary program and found more colleges that offer a pre vet program. I'm a lot more confident in my plan for college now,” she added. AnnaMaria Cronkright was in agreement. “I thought it was very informative. I got to learn more about different programs in colleges that I’m interested in,” Cronkright said.
Dryden’s invitation to the Regional Virtual College Fair was arranged through the Senior Seminar course. Now in its fifth year, the Senior Seminar College Planning Course is offered to Dryden High School seniors in conjunction with the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN).
The goal of MCAN is to increase college readiness, participation, and completion in Michigan, particularly among low-income students, first-generation college-going students, and students of color.
Further, the goal of the College Planning Course is to increase college completion by lowering barriers that prevent students from getting to and through college, including Social Capital, Academic Preparation, College Knowledge, and Affordability.
Dryden senior Erin Paton realized the impact this college fair may have on her future. “I thought the College Fair was a really important thing for us to do. It allowed us to talk personally with administrators and get all of our individual questions answered,” Paton said. “I also really liked it because now admissions reps are aware of me personally and will hopefully see my application and remember me from this call.”
Students of the Month: October
October theme: Fairness - impartial and just treatment or behavior without favoritism or discrimination.
7th grade
Caila Fitchett
Luke Oliver
8th grade
Mya Grigg
Noah Hall
9th grade
Ava DeVlaminck
Jason Richardson
10th grade
Lauren Abromaitis
Cody Jackson
11th grade
Joanna Livingston
Ethan Knuth
12th grade
Ella Kage
Reed Hall
Boooo-ling Fundraiser
On Friday, October 30th, the day before Halloween, Project Graduation held a bowling fundraiser to raise money for the class of 2021. Everyone who attended got 3 games of "booooo-ling", as well as the chance to participate in a costume contest and win some raffle baskets. Thank you to everyone who helped organize and run the event, as well as everyone who came and made the night a success!
Sovita Credit Union "Yes to People Classroom Supply Grant" Awarded
NHS Induction
by Miya Wolff
On Wednesday, November 28, the Dryden High School National Honor Society inducted their new 2020 members. This year was much different than previous inductions, as it was done virtually. The five NHS officers, along with advisor Mrs. Logan, met at the school to present the induction ceremony to the inductees via Zoom. This year’s NHS officers are:
President: Teagan O’Bryan
Vice President: Natalie Embree
Secretary: Reed Hall
Treasurer: Miya Wolff
Historian: Jenna Pagano
Congratulations to the 3 new members, Lauren Abromaitis, Colin Jones, and Jackson Spencer on your academic achievements. We are proud to welcome you to the NHS family!
Secretary Reed Hall is joined in a zoom meeting by the inductees.
NJHS Induction
by Jason Richardson
The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) induction was held on October 28, 2020. This year instead of having it at the high school, they did it virtually.
The expectations, once you’re in NJHS, are:
Maintain a Cumulative Grade Point of 3.0
Complete 6 Community Service Hours
Attend Regular Virtual Meetings (Once a Month)
Participate in all NJHS Projects.
The requirements you need to get into NJHS are:
Have a 3.0-grade point average or higher
Write an essay on why you would like to become a member
List activities that you have participated in
List of instances where you have provided service to others.
The students that got inducted into the National Junior Honor Society this year are:
Aiden Fitchett, Cloey Kreiner, Kaeleigh Gourieux, Mikayla Fleming, Trenton Carroll, David Insley, Jade Insley, Carson DeLoy, Nicklas Abromaitis, Caila Fitchett, and Lillian Wright.
A couple of students that were inducted were two siblings named Aiden and Caila Fitchett. Aiden said, “ I got into NJHS by having at least a 3.0 GPA. Once I did that, I received a letter that said I was eligible to join. I did all of the requirements, like writing the article, and submitted my entry. I feel really proud that I was able to get into NJHS, and I look forward to what the future holds with me being in the group.”
When Caila was asked the same questions, she said, “ I wrote an essay to get in, then I got a letter that allowed me to get in. After that, I loved the induction ceremony and how it was such an honor. I liked the candles and how formal it was. I am very proud to be in NJHS.”
NJHS is not for everyone, but if you try you can get in and try to keep good grades. That's why you need to try and not give up.
Senior Seminar Speakers
University of Michigan-Flint
Lexi Welch from the University of Michigan Flint had kindly taken time out of her day to speak with our class about U of M Flint. She had given us a lot of information to think about when choosing the college that is the best fit for us. During her presentation, three things had really stood out to me. From the cost of each credit to the fact that she had the amount of money before scholarships, aid, etc... and how she had mentioned more information about their Merit Scholarships.
As Ms. Welch had begun, she had stated that each credit would be around $500 compared to the $1000 or more at other universities. This is very interesting because most universities charge a lot more than the $500 per credit. On top of that, each and every credit that is needed for graduation will become thousands and thousands of dollars. So, essentially that means you would save a ton of money if you choose to go here while still being able to receive higher education.
Another thing that was in Ms. Welch’s presentation was the fact that she had stated that the dollar amount in the presentation is the cost of attending before scholarships, grants, financial aid, and more. This is very fascinating because most colleges have a dollar amount after average aid. Having that visual is very nice because you have numbers that you can compare from one to another.
Lastly, she had also given us more information about the Merit Scholarships. She had stated that each school has to give out some form of a Merit Scholarship. On top of that, Ms. Welch had said that their Merit Scholarship can be renewable but is normally a one-year scholarship. That is an eye-opener because when looking at the different colleges, you should see how their Merit Scholarships work, if they are renewable for four years or if it is a one-year scholarship.
Overall, Lexi Welch from the University of Michigan Flint had kindly taken time out of her day to speak with our class virtually. From giving us more information about this university to having me retain three main points. These had included the approximate cost for each credit, the overall cost before any form of financial help (aid, scholarships, grants, etc…), and more information about their Merit Scholarships.
David Clayton, Families Against Narcotics
I was very pleased to get the chance to listen to David Clayton talk about his personal experiences. He was very honest with our class about everything he went through with drugs and alcohol. I can easily say that his presentation was by far the best one I have heard all year. I appreciated the fact that he talked to us like young adults, and not like children. It takes a lot of courage and bravery to openly discuss what has happened to him throughout his life, so I have a lot of respect for him and what he's doing to bring awareness to substance abuse.
What I liked the most about David speaking to our class is that he started his story from when he was only sixteen years old. He explained that becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol can happen to anyone. David was an all-star baseball player and was getting recruited to play in college. He was an amazing shortstop player and had a bright future ahead of him. He emphasized that the start of one drug led to another drug, and eventually he was addicted and he could not function without it.
There was one part of David’s story that really stood out to me. He went on to discuss with the class that there were side effects written on the drugs that David would get from his doctors, whether those side effects were nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, or irritation, etc. He goes on to say this. “Those side effects on the label did not tell me that taking these drugs would cause me to steal my dying grandma's pills, or contemplate suicide in the back of a minivan in Detroit, and be in so much unbearable pain.”
I am very glad that David Clayton shared his story on substance abuse, and here's why. Some people will say that substance abuse is a choice, but after hearing David’s personal experience, I now know that substance abuse is NOT a choice, it is a disorder. I think it is an amazing thing that David is sharing his story with so many people my age around the state. I can say that I am not used to hearing personal experiences from people who have been addicted to alcohol and drugs. With that being said, I have a lot of respect for David Clayton with how far he has come and how he has turned his life around to educate others on the importance of substance abuse.
Mott Community College
On Wednesday, October 28, another community college speaker came and talked to our school. I was yet again surprised by the number of programs and courses that they offered. During the presentation, the speaker talked about the cost of tuition, the different courses and programs offered at the college, and the different colleges that also have programs with Mott.
One of the biggest benefits of going to a community college is that the cost of tuition is usually a lot cheaper than that of a four-year college. This is true for Mott with a tuition cost of about $5,126 per year. Because paying for college is one of the most stressful parts of it, the lower tuition definitely makes Mott a good choice.
Low tuition isn’t the only good thing that Mott Community College offers, however. They also have a lot of different programs and courses, some with bigger four-year colleges. I myself am interested in going somewhere into the dental field so I thought that it was interesting that they offer an associate’s degree in dental hygiene and dental assisting.
Mott seems like it would be a good fit for a lot of people, especially since the acceptance rate is 100%. I actually want to apply to Mott Community College after the speaker came last Wednesday. Not only does the college have fairly low tuition, but they also offer degrees that I am interested in.
Band Virtual Halloween Performance
On Thursday, October 28, the Dryden High School Band played a virtual performance at the Dryden Junior/Senior High School in the Gym. The original plan was to perform at the elementary school for the students, but unfortunately, COVID precautions put a stop to that. Even virtually they all sounded excellent in their performance, playing songs like “Spooky Scary Skeletons”, “Ghost Busters”, “Let's Get it Started”, and many more. Their performance can be watched on the Dryden Band Facebook page, along with any other announcements of upcoming performances.
Sports
Varsity Cross Country Runners Compete at States!
This past weekend, two of our Dryden Cross Country boys ran at the state finals. These finals were at the international speedway! These awesome runners are Reed Hall and Aiden Fitchett! The boys were lucky that it was not raining on the course because every year at States it is muddy, therefore rain on top of that is practically pulling you in. Anyway, these boys ran great! Aiden ran a time of 18:21 and Reed ran a time of 20:06! A special congratulations to Reed Hall on his ability to end his senior year of high school by going to States! Congratulations, guys, and keep running!
Girls Basketball Prepares for their Season
As the fall sports season comes to a close, the winter sports are just kicking off. Both the Varsity and JV girls basketball teams have been conditioning and holding small open gyms to prepare for the year. While COVID safety requirements have changed the look of the games, like a reduced crowd in the stands and masks for the players and coaches, the Cardinals do not plan to change how they approach the season. For many of the girls, conditioning has now become not only getting back into shape but getting used to exercising in a mask.
While it's absolutely not too late to join the basketball team, the Varsity roster currently stands at:
Seniors:
Ella Kage
Alexis Schuhrke
Riley Knox
Olivia Miller
Natalie Embree
Miya Wolff
Juniors:
Ashley Hickmott
It's great to see the girls hard at work and not letting COVID stand in their way, and we can't wait to see how this season goes!
The Cardinals are on the NFHS Network!
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, November 11
- WEAR IT WEDNESDAY - VETERANS/ RED, WHITE & BLUE DAY
- First Grade LEAF Deposit Day - 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM (Dryden Elementary)
- Color Me Green - 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM (Room 153)
- Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences - 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- Boys Basketball 4 player workouts - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (Dryden Elementary)
- Project Graduation 2021 Meeting - 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM (High School Library)
Thursday, November 12
- 1/2 Day - High School - 7:25 AM to 10:35 AM
- 1/2 Day - Elementary - 8:30 AM to 12:10 PM
- Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences - 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
- Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences - 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Friday, November 13
- No School!
- Boys Basketball 4 player workouts - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (Dryden Elementary)
Monday, November 16
- Yearbook Club - High School - 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM (Room 167)
Tuesday, November 17
- Color Me Green - 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM (Room 153)
Wednesday, November 18
- WEAR IT WEDNESDAY - CAMO DAY
- Senior Seminar Speaker - Taylor McGinnis, WMU - 8:45 AM to 9:30 AM
- Dryden High School PLC #3 - 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM (Library)
- Athletic Boosters Meeting - 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM (High School Library)
Friday, November 20
- Senior Seminar Speaker - Jess Hernandez, WSU - 8:45 AM to 9:30 AM
Monday, November 23 to Friday, November 27
No School - Thanksgiving Break!
Monday, November 30
- Vision and Hearing screen for Grades 1-6 - 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (Dryden Elementary)
- Yearbook Club - High School - 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM (Room 167)
Thanksgiving Break
Thanksgiving break is coming up! Dryden Community Schools will be off from November 23rd to November 27th. This will be the last Red and Black issue until we come back from break.
On November 30, we are going to begin a new publishing schedule, with issues coming out every Monday. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we will see you again soon!
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: No legs have I to dance, no lungs have I to breathe, no life have I to live or die and yet I do all three. What am I?
Last issue’s riddle: Mr. and Mrs. Mustard have six daughters and each daughter has one brother. How many people are in the Mustard family?
Answer: 9
Last issue’s winner: Aiden Fitchett!
Honorable Mention: “There are 9 people in the Mustard family (but is dad a retired Colonel?)”
- Lynn Marta
Love the Clue reference!
Want To Join The School Paper?
December 14, 2020
January 11, 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
Caila Fitchett
by Lily Finnigan
Caila is a seventh grader at Dryden who has been here for four years. She is also taking all eighth grade classes. Caila is involved in Soccer, Youth group, and Cross Country but she plans to participate in Track in the spring. Outside of school, she likes to go on vacations, explore the outdoors, and dive into the Bible. She says her favorite thing about Dryden is knowing everyone and the advanced options. She also loves how the school accommodates all of the students' needs. Caila’s dream job is a surgeon or a special type of doctor. After Caila graduates, she plans on getting a job and attending a college to earn a degree. Caila is looking forward to driving when she gets into high school. She says the hardest thing about COVID is the masks because it is hard to talk and see other's facial expressions. Caila would like you to know that she plays the flute, enjoys climbing trees and she likes to keep her academics high.
Perry Feierabend
by Lily Finnigan
Perry is a sophomore who has been at Dryden since third grade. Outside of school, Perry enjoys working out and playing junior hockey for Detroit. After high school, Perry plans on playing hockey for NCAA then eventually playing for the NHL. Perry says the most challenging thing about COVID is doing online school.
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
"The best things happen to those who don't wait."
- Max McKeown
Joke of the Week
Have you heard about the restaurant on the moon?
The food is great but there's no atmosphere.