Students from the Dripping Springs High School theatre program attended the recent Texas Thespian State Festival in Grapevine, where they had the opportunity to participate in educational workshops and competition, and seniors auditioned and interviewed for scholarships.

Six underclassmen qualified to advance to the International level of competition based on earning scores in the perfect range for their performances. Four qualified in the category Monologue Acting: Calvin Green, Owen Racis, Eben Sebastian (pictured), and Sierra Trbovich. Sebastian, a freshman, also advanced to the semifinals out of a 2,000-student competition pool and ranked 10th in the state. Taylor Barnett and Kate Nolen qualified in the Solo Musical event.

The summer competition, sponsored by the International Thespians Society, will be held in Nebraska.

For the seniors, the event was an opportunity to audition and interview for potential college scholarships. Eight DSHS seniors plan to continue their theatre education at the university level.

“We had an excellent university callback and acceptance rate, with our students garnering over $200,000 in scholarship offers so far,” said DSHS Theatre Director Christine Hathcock. “University outreach is a high priority for me, as we focus on finding the right fit for all of our seniors … and they definitely get excited about the scholarship money.”

The event welcomed 8,000 high school students from all across the state; 30 universities also were represented.

This weekend DSHS theatre will perform the annual musical, hosting "Chicago: High School Edition" Dec. 2-4, 2021, in the auditorium. Showtimes are 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday; a 1:30 p.m. matinee also will be held Saturday. Tickets can be purchased at this website.

Five Dripping Springs High School band students were selected to the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Region 18 Orchestra: Jace Byrd (tenor trombone), Dylan Saculla (trumpet), Matt Sheeler (bassoon), Maddie Trussell (flute) and Harrison Weikert (French horn). The Region 18 Orchestra held a concert at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Nov. 20.

Bassoon

Matt Sheeler – 3rd Chair

Flute

Maddie Trussell – 3rd Chair

French Horn

Harrison Weikert – 4th Chair

Tenor Trombone

Jace Byrd – 1st Chair

Trumpet

Dylan Saculla – 3rd Chair

Dripping Springs ISD is always looking to add to our Tiger Team! For some hard-to-fill positions, a hiring incentive, job training and flexible schedules are offered. Currently, DSISD has several openings for custodians, bus drivers, teacher aides, child nutrition staff, and Kids Club after-school staff and student workers. For more information about joining the DSISD team, visit dsisdtx.us/hr. To see job postings, click here.