December 2010 - Dripping Springs Independent School District
December 2010 - Dripping Springs Independent School District
December 2010 - Dripping Springs Independent School District
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Inside DSISD<br />
DRIPPING SPRINGS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT<br />
COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER <strong>December</strong> <strong>2010</strong><br />
<strong>District</strong> Earns Gold Performance Acknowledgments<br />
<strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> ISD and<br />
all five schools have received<br />
multiple Gold Performance Acknowledgments<br />
for <strong>2010</strong>, according<br />
to the Texas Education<br />
Agency (TEA). In August it was<br />
announced that the district,<br />
<strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> High <strong>School</strong>,<br />
Rooster <strong>Springs</strong> Elementary<br />
and Walnut <strong>Springs</strong> Elementary<br />
are rated Exemplary in <strong>2010</strong><br />
accountability ratings.<br />
In all, the five campuses<br />
received 89 acknowledgments<br />
under the Gold Performance<br />
Acknowledgment (GPA) system.<br />
The system recognizes<br />
campuses for high academic<br />
performance and/or improvement<br />
in areas such as Commended<br />
results on TAKS tests,<br />
attendance rate and improvement<br />
on TAKS tests. Additional<br />
measures considered<br />
at the high school level are:<br />
Advanced Placement course<br />
enrollment and exam performance,<br />
college readiness, SAT/<br />
ACT results, Recommended<br />
High <strong>School</strong> Plan participation,<br />
and Texas Success Initiative<br />
scores.<br />
As a district, DSISD<br />
earned the following Gold Performance<br />
Acknowledgments:<br />
AP/IB results, College Ready<br />
graduates, Commended in<br />
Social Studies, SAT/ACT results,<br />
and Texas Success Initiative<br />
in both English Language Arts<br />
and Mathematics.<br />
The high school and<br />
Rooster <strong>Springs</strong> Elementary<br />
earned six Gold Performance<br />
Acknowledgments each,<br />
while <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> Middle<br />
<strong>School</strong>, <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> Elementary<br />
and Walnut <strong>Springs</strong><br />
Elementary received recognition<br />
in two areas.<br />
Musical Performances Highlight Holiday Season<br />
The month of <strong>December</strong><br />
offers many opportunities to<br />
enjoy the musical talents of<br />
<strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> students.<br />
The choirs from <strong>Dripping</strong><br />
<strong>Springs</strong> High <strong>School</strong><br />
and <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> Middle<br />
<strong>School</strong> will team up for a<br />
full day of performances on<br />
Dec. 9. The DSHS Concert<br />
and Chamber Choirs and the<br />
DSMS Girls’ Choir will perform<br />
together at <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong><br />
Elementary (8:00 a.m.), Barton<br />
Creek Mall (11:30 a.m.) and<br />
Walnut <strong>Springs</strong> Elementary<br />
(2:10 p.m.). Choirs from the<br />
two schools will separately<br />
visit some local assisted living<br />
facilities. DSMS will sing<br />
at both Hill Country<br />
Care (10:00 a.m.) and<br />
Arveda Alzheimer’s<br />
Family Care (1:15 p.m.),<br />
while the high school<br />
group will go to The<br />
Heritage at Gaines<br />
Ranch for a 10:00 a.m.<br />
performance. This is<br />
the second year for this<br />
special performance<br />
field trip.<br />
The middle school<br />
choir and the DSHS Jazz<br />
The DSHS Jazz Kats<br />
performed at the Texas<br />
State Capitol Nov. 29.<br />
Kats sang at “Christmas on<br />
Mercer Street” Dec. 4.<br />
In addition, both schools<br />
have choir concerts planned<br />
the week of Dec. 6. The DSHS<br />
Holiday Concert will be held<br />
on Tuesday, Dec. 7, beginning<br />
at 7:00 p.m. at the First Baptist<br />
Church of <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong><br />
(203 Highway 290 West). The<br />
DSMS Winter Choir Concert<br />
is scheduled for the following<br />
evening, Dec. 8, at the middle<br />
school cafetorium starting at<br />
7:30 p.m.<br />
Three DSMS bands (Beginning<br />
Maroon, Symphonic,<br />
Wind Ensemble) performed<br />
“The Sounds of Holiday Splendor”<br />
concert on Nov. 30. The<br />
Gold and Concert bands will<br />
play a concert on Dec. 6 at<br />
6:30 p.m. in the middle school<br />
cafetorium. The DSHS Jazz<br />
Orchestra also will perform at<br />
this concert.<br />
The high school bands<br />
(Concert, Symphonic and Wind<br />
INSIDE THIS ISSUE<br />
Superintendent’s Message 2<br />
Board Briefs 2<br />
Calendars Approved 2<br />
Grand Piano Project 2<br />
Student-Athletes Sign 3<br />
Contest Finalists 3<br />
Campus Happenings 4<br />
Veterans Day Photos 5<br />
<strong>District</strong> Demographics 5<br />
Teacher Spotlight 6<br />
MS Choir at Tree Lighting 6<br />
Student Corner 6<br />
Elementary UIL Results 7<br />
Giving Thanks 7<br />
IMPORTaNT DaTES<br />
<strong>December</strong> 9<br />
DSE “Donuts with Diane,” 7:45-<br />
8:45 a.m., Room 310;<br />
WSE Principal/PTA Coffee, 8:00-<br />
8:30 a.m., Room 320<br />
<strong>December</strong> 13-17<br />
Final Exams and Prep Days<br />
<strong>December</strong> 13<br />
Board of Trustees Facility<br />
Committee Meeting, 4:30 p.m.<br />
<strong>December</strong> 14<br />
Board of Trustees Finance<br />
Committee Meeting, 5:00 p.m.<br />
<strong>December</strong> 16<br />
Board of Trustees Meeting<br />
5:00 p.m. (workshop) and 7:00<br />
p.m. (regular session),<br />
Board Room, Administraiton<br />
<strong>December</strong> 17<br />
Grade Report<br />
<strong>December</strong> 20-January 3<br />
No <strong>School</strong><br />
Holiday Break<br />
January 3<br />
Student Holiday/Staff Day<br />
Ensemble) will be featured in<br />
a performance on Dec. 9 at<br />
6:30 p.m., also in the DSMS<br />
cafetorium.
Message from the Superintendent<br />
Dr. Mard Herrick<br />
What a smooth and successful fall<br />
we have had in <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> ISD. An<br />
outstanding semester does not happen<br />
by chance. It is a product of the spirit of<br />
partnership that exists in our community.<br />
Thank you for being a part of that<br />
effort.<br />
Many examples of teamwork<br />
and generosity also are evident as we<br />
approach the holiday season. Several of<br />
our campuses participated in Coats for<br />
Kids collections, as well as Toys for Tots<br />
and other charitable efforts. The high<br />
school and middle school choirs are<br />
visiting two local assisted living facilities<br />
to share music with residents. Several<br />
PTAs are organizing luncheons or cookie<br />
exchanges as a way of saying thank-you<br />
to teachers and staff. It warms my heart<br />
to see all the good things that are initiated<br />
and delivered by our students, staff<br />
and parents.<br />
As we remain committed to continual<br />
improvement, we have several<br />
groups working on various aspects of<br />
future planning. As we take these steps,<br />
we must realize our future financial<br />
picture could present serious challenges,<br />
depending on what occurs in the<br />
state legislative session. As you may be<br />
Board Briefs<br />
At the November Board of Trustees<br />
meeting and workshop, several topics<br />
of interest were discussed. Curriculumrelated<br />
reports were provided on future<br />
district calendars, the format of the<br />
annual district survey, implications of endof-course<br />
assessments and Gold Performance<br />
Acknowledgments/accountability<br />
ratings. Business-related reports were<br />
given on the recent bond refunding and<br />
anticipated state funding cuts.<br />
Facility Committee chair Caroline<br />
Pekarek and Finance Committee chair<br />
John Adams provided updates on recent<br />
meetings, including presentation of the<br />
2009-10 audit.<br />
Following the opening ceremony in<br />
the evening session by <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong><br />
Elementary students, a demographic<br />
report was given by Steve Stewart of<br />
DeskMap Systems (see story, Page 5).<br />
Superintendent Mard Herrick<br />
shared a legislative report and gave an<br />
enrollment update.<br />
Action was taken on several other<br />
items: Policy Update 88, a resolution to<br />
nominate Galen Dodson for the Hays Central<br />
Appraisal <strong>District</strong> and Tom Buckle for<br />
the Travis County Appraisal <strong>District</strong>, and<br />
the nomination of Trustee John Adams for<br />
the TASB Region 13 Board of Directors.<br />
The 2011-12 school calendar was<br />
approved by the Board and key dates<br />
were approved for 2012-13 for planning<br />
purposes (see related story at left).<br />
Calendars Set for 2011-12;<br />
Key Dates Determined for 2012-13 A Grand Project!<br />
At its November meeting, the<br />
<strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> ISD Board of Trustees<br />
finalized and adopted the calendar for the<br />
2011-12 school year, and approved some<br />
key planning dates for the 2012-13 school<br />
year.<br />
Proposed calendars are developed<br />
by the <strong>District</strong>-Wide Educational Improvement<br />
Committee (DWEIC) – comprised<br />
of parents, community members and<br />
staff – after asking for feedback from<br />
the campuses and community. Then, the<br />
calendars are presented to the Board of<br />
Trustees for approval.<br />
The newly approved calendar dates<br />
for 2011-12 include the first day of school<br />
on August 22, the winter break running<br />
aware, state funding for public schools<br />
has essentially been frozen since 2006<br />
despite inflationary costs and salary<br />
adjustments. The projected state deficit<br />
certainly creates concern for us. We will<br />
watch closely what is happening at the<br />
Capitol beginning in January.<br />
One major planning effort that has<br />
made progress is our <strong>District</strong> Long-Range<br />
Facilities Planning Team, which has been<br />
meeting this fall to discuss future district<br />
facility needs and help establish direction<br />
for bonds and construction programs<br />
over the next 10-20 years.<br />
Several district program reviews<br />
also will be concluding in the coming<br />
months. Review teams have worked<br />
diligently to collect and analyze data,<br />
before developing recommendations for<br />
the future.<br />
Don’t miss good news about Gold<br />
Performance Acknowledgments from<br />
the TEA and some student honors in this<br />
issue of “Inside DSISD.”<br />
Have a great winter break,<br />
Mard A. Herrick, Ph.D.<br />
Superintendent of <strong>School</strong>s<br />
from Dec. 19-Jan. 2, Spring Break from<br />
March 12-16, and the last day of school<br />
on May 31. Graduation will be June 1.<br />
The 2012-13 school year will see<br />
something of a shift as the first day moves<br />
back to August 27 due to restrictions<br />
established by the state legislature that<br />
public schools cannot start before the<br />
fourth Monday of August. Winter break<br />
also shifts back to Dec. 24-Jan. 7 (the last<br />
instructional day is Friday, Dec. 21). Spring<br />
Break has not yet been set, but will coincide<br />
with UT-Austin’s schedule. The last<br />
day of school will be June 6, 2013.<br />
To view and download the new calendar,<br />
visit the DSISD website, www.dsisd.<br />
txed.net (“<strong>District</strong> Calendars” on left).<br />
The <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> Grand Piano<br />
Project is an initiative launched by<br />
a committed group of parents and<br />
community members to raise funds<br />
to purchase a grand piano for the new<br />
high school auditorium. Individuals<br />
may “purchase a key” for a donation<br />
of $50. All 88 black and white keys<br />
are available, so donors can pick their<br />
favorite note! Donations are taxdeductible<br />
and eligible to be matched<br />
through a $5,000 challenge grant that<br />
has been received, doubling the value<br />
of each key contribution to $100.<br />
More information on the project is<br />
available at ds88keys.org.<br />
PAGE 2
Student-Athletes Make College Commitments<br />
Superintendent Mard Herrick, Principal Kim Cousins and Athletic Director<br />
Howard Ballard pose with athletes who signed national letters of<br />
intent and their coaches.<br />
Five <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> High <strong>School</strong><br />
student-athletes signed national letters<br />
of intent to compete in their respective<br />
sports at Division I universities. A ceremony<br />
was held Nov. 12 that featured<br />
the students, their coaches and families<br />
as they inked their letters. Principal Kim<br />
Cousins welcomed those in attendance<br />
and introduced Athletic Director Howard<br />
Ballard and the three head coaches.<br />
Baseball player Parker French committed<br />
to the University of Texas at Austin,<br />
volleyball player Rachael McLamore is<br />
headed to Ole Miss, volleyball player<br />
Mackenzie Neely signed with Northwestern<br />
State (La.), and softball players Cassie<br />
Carroll and Tina Cisneros will play at Texas<br />
A&M Corpus Christi and New Mexico<br />
State, respectively. Below is information<br />
about each DSHS senior.<br />
French will be a fourth-year starter<br />
this spring. He has pitched and played<br />
third base, and received all-district honors<br />
for three straight years. Last spring he<br />
was named MVP for <strong>District</strong> 26-4A after<br />
recording a 15-0 pitching record. He also<br />
earned academic all-district honors each<br />
of the past three seasons. As a member<br />
of Team USA 2009, French won a Gold<br />
Medal, beating Korea and Cuba. His coach<br />
is Chris Payne.<br />
Cassie Carroll and Tina Cisneros<br />
helped lead the softball team of Head<br />
Coach Keith Tuck to the 2008 state<br />
tournament and both are within reach of<br />
the school record for career homeruns.<br />
Carroll, an infielder, enters her third<br />
season as a starter and was named to the<br />
All-<strong>District</strong> First Team each of the past two<br />
years. Cisneros, who will be a four-year<br />
varsity starter at third base, earned a spot<br />
on the All-<strong>District</strong> First Team in both 2009<br />
and <strong>2010</strong> after receiving second-team<br />
recognition as a freshman.<br />
Volleyball Coach Michael Kane announced<br />
that two of his players will play<br />
at Division I universities.<br />
McLamore has been a four-year<br />
starter and letterwinner. She was selected<br />
as Newcomer of the Year in 2007, and has<br />
earned all-district honors every year of<br />
her high school career. McLamore also has<br />
been honored as a member of the Academic<br />
All-<strong>District</strong> Team every year.<br />
Also a four-year starter, Neely was<br />
named to the All-<strong>District</strong> First Team in<br />
2007, 2008 and 2009 and earned a spot<br />
on the All-Centex Second Team as a<br />
sophomore. She also received academic<br />
all-district honors all three years.<br />
Students Chosen as<br />
Contest Finalists<br />
Two <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> High <strong>School</strong><br />
sophomores have been selected as finalists<br />
in local competitions.<br />
Tori Baker,<br />
a member<br />
of the DSHS<br />
Speech and<br />
Debate Team,<br />
won the <strong>Dripping</strong><br />
<strong>Springs</strong><br />
VFW Voices<br />
of Democracy<br />
Speech<br />
Contest. As<br />
the winner of the local competition, she<br />
will advance to the district level with her<br />
speech on the topic “Does My Generation<br />
Have a Role in America’s Future?” Tori<br />
won a $100 prize for her local win and will<br />
compete for $500 in the district contest;<br />
winners advance to the state competition.<br />
Connor<br />
Crawford, an<br />
English II Pre-AP<br />
student, was<br />
selected to be<br />
a finalist in the<br />
2011 Youth Tour<br />
Competition<br />
sponsored by<br />
Pedernales Electric<br />
Cooperative.<br />
He will be competing against 12 other<br />
area finalists to win a trip to Washington,<br />
D.C. Crawford will present his ideas on<br />
the types of green jobs, programs, and<br />
services that would have a positive impact<br />
on the energy sector of the Central Texas<br />
economy.<br />
PAGE 3
Campus Happenings<br />
<strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> High <strong>School</strong>:<br />
• Junior Liana Solis was invited to and attended the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. in<br />
early November. The experience allowed her to develop leadership skills and participate in a program that included<br />
students from across the country studying governmental processes and current issues, as well as seeing<br />
some well-known D.C. sights.<br />
• Latin teacher Ginny Lindzey had a hand in Southwest Airlines’ recent<br />
“Bags Fly Free” ad campaign. A student whose father works<br />
in advertising for GSD&M asked her if she could translate the campaign<br />
catch phrase. She obliged, providing the phrase “Sarcinae<br />
Volant Gratis” that appears in print and television ads.<br />
• DSHS is holding its fifth annual Poetry Out Loud Contest, a National<br />
Recitation Contest created by the National Endowment for the Arts<br />
and the Poetry Foundation. Students have been reciting poetry in<br />
their English classes, and advancing students from each class will<br />
compete in the school-wide Poetry Out Loud competition Dec. 7<br />
beginning at 5 p.m. in the Lecture Hall. The winner of the DSHS school-wide Poetry Out Loud competition will<br />
represent <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> at the State Level Poetry Out Loud competition.<br />
• Again this year the high school participated in the Coats for Kids Community Project that collects and distributes<br />
warm winter coats to eligible children and teenagers in Central Texas.<br />
<strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> Middle <strong>School</strong>:<br />
• Student Sydney Duleba qualified for and competed in the USTPA (United States Team Penning Association)<br />
World Championships that were held last month in West Monroe, La.<br />
• <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> Middle <strong>School</strong> PTA will sponsor its Holiday Appreciation Luncheon and Holiday Cookies for staff<br />
on Dec. 8. Volunteers will provide a holiday meal and cookies for approximately 100 staff divided up into three<br />
lunch periods.<br />
<strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> Elementary:<br />
• The fifth grade held a Colonial Fair on Nov. 22 that included merriment, robust presentations, and enchanted<br />
learning.<br />
• <strong>Dripping</strong> Spring Elementary families are collecting donations to support Angels in Cowboy Boots, a non-profit<br />
organization created by the Twining family, local <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> residents. This year’s campus-wide service<br />
project will benefit toddlers in Haiti (or toddlers in the U.S. if a disaster strikes locally). Baby Buckets fill a need<br />
for the youngest victims of disasters. Designed to feed toddlers, each AICB Baby Bucket contains 20 days worth<br />
of food for a young child not yet able to eat adult foods.<br />
Rooster <strong>Springs</strong> Elementary:<br />
• All second-grade classes from Rooster <strong>Springs</strong> will perform at Barnes and Noble Book Fair on Dec. 7 and Dec.<br />
9, singing holiday songs at 6:30 p.m. each night. In addition, some RSE students’ art will be displayed beginning<br />
Dec. 8.<br />
• The First Knight Assembly of Champions on Dec. 16 will honor students who have displayed the Knight of the<br />
Guild Character Trait of the month. Each class recognizes one student for each of two traits.<br />
Walnut <strong>Springs</strong> Elementary:<br />
• Walnut Spring students recently held a UIL awards presentation and participated in the annual Literacy Parade.<br />
• WSES is participating in many holiday charitable drives, including Coats for Kids, Helping Hands, Toys for Tots,<br />
and the Giving Tree.<br />
PAGE 4
SceneS from VeteranS Day <strong>2010</strong><br />
At left, <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> Elementary<br />
students Natalie and Nathan<br />
Thompson stand with grandfather<br />
Steve Thompson, a former Marine.<br />
at right, Rooster <strong>Springs</strong> honors<br />
veterans who were in attendance<br />
at the outdoor ceremony. Below,<br />
DSHS student Lindsay Greenman<br />
reads her award-winning essay at<br />
the Texas State Capitol Veterans<br />
Day program.<br />
<strong>District</strong> Demographic Report Presented<br />
An updated demographic report on<br />
<strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> ISD was presented at the<br />
November Board meeting by Steve Stewart,<br />
president of DeskMap Systems, Inc.<br />
The report included information on<br />
demographic trends in the community, a<br />
breakdown of where students reside, a<br />
historical look at enrollment and a forecast<br />
for future enrollment.<br />
The community demographic<br />
information examined trends for total<br />
population, households and families. The<br />
projection showed a steady growth in all<br />
areas over the next five years.<br />
Mr. Stewart presented a history<br />
of enrollment dating back to 2000. The<br />
percentage of growth was 3.7 percent this<br />
year following a jump of 4.6 percent in<br />
2009. He broke down location of students<br />
by elementary, middle and high school<br />
age and showed specifically which neighborhoods<br />
have increased at the greatest<br />
rate. This information was presented with<br />
the district broken down into 63 planning<br />
zones.<br />
The forecast for future student enrollment<br />
considered many factors such as:<br />
number of students in kindergarten, birth<br />
rates, impact of new residential development,<br />
housing market, and private school<br />
enrollment.<br />
Two projections were presented<br />
through 2015: a conservative one that<br />
reached 6,165 students over the five-year<br />
window and a moderate projection that<br />
extended that number to 6,440. Both the<br />
conservative and moderate projections<br />
then were broken down by elementary<br />
campus, showing that Rooster <strong>Springs</strong><br />
Elementary would increase at the quickest<br />
rate, followed by Walnut <strong>Springs</strong>.<br />
With current attendance zones, <strong>Dripping</strong><br />
<strong>Springs</strong> Elementary is anticipated to have<br />
very little growth over that time period.<br />
According to these projections, current<br />
attendance zones would lead to 2011-12<br />
enrollments of 901 students at RSE, 741 at<br />
WSE and 606 at DSE.<br />
The report was concluded with<br />
several observations. As the economy<br />
has struggled, home building has been<br />
slower but steady. In fact, several inactive<br />
developments exist that may see building<br />
if the economy improves; these are being<br />
monitored.<br />
As projections clearly show that<br />
Rooster <strong>Springs</strong> is nearing its capacity, the<br />
Board asked that Mr. Stewart examine<br />
the planning zones and develop some<br />
options to alleviate this imbalance while<br />
effectively using elementary school space.<br />
Some options will be presented at the<br />
<strong>December</strong> Board meeting.<br />
This report also will be used by<br />
the <strong>District</strong> Long-Range Facility Planning<br />
Team, which has been meeting this fall<br />
to update planning and priorities for the<br />
future of district facilities.<br />
PAGE 5
Tiger Teacher Spotlight<br />
Nicole Mariani<br />
DSE, Kindergarten Bilingual<br />
Nicole Mariani is in<br />
her second year teaching<br />
bilingual kindergarten at<br />
DSE after spending four<br />
years in Austin ISD. She<br />
enjoys the small-town<br />
feel in <strong>Dripping</strong>, and<br />
knowing many of the<br />
families.<br />
Her background positioned her<br />
well for a teaching role that embraces<br />
multiple cultures. She lived in Puerto<br />
Rico until moving to Louisiana at age 8.<br />
She also lived in Miami and San Antonio<br />
before coming to college in Austin and<br />
staying.<br />
She loves to travel and enjoyed a trip<br />
this summer to Australia and New Zealand,<br />
which she notes is the best place<br />
she’s ever been.<br />
Ms. Mariani says her favorite part of<br />
teaching is seeing the fruits of her labor<br />
in a few short months: “Children learn<br />
so much in one school year, and you<br />
see it happen right before your eyes.” If<br />
she wasn’t teaching, she says she would<br />
have been a ballet dancer.<br />
This April she will marry her fiance<br />
Michael Lencioni.<br />
The following are impressions shared<br />
by DSHS senior Erin Lulfs who, along with<br />
fellow student Molly Wilson, traveled to<br />
Haiti in October to help less fortunate children<br />
and families.<br />
My name is Erin Lulfs. I am 17 years<br />
old and a senior at <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> High<br />
<strong>School</strong>. I recently went Cazale, Haiti, to<br />
work with the Real Hope for Haiti relief<br />
program for six days in October. I aspire to<br />
be a nurse one day and plan on attending<br />
nursing school next fall. Being given the opportunity<br />
to work in the clinic there allowed<br />
me to get my feet<br />
wet and experience<br />
first-hand<br />
what it would be<br />
like to work in the<br />
field.<br />
While there,<br />
I worked with<br />
people of all ages<br />
with many types<br />
of sicknesses, everyone<br />
from the<br />
smallest infant<br />
to the senior citizens.<br />
People there<br />
Amber Taylor<br />
DSMS, English Language Arts<br />
Eighth-grade English<br />
teacher Amber Taylor is<br />
in her first year in <strong>Dripping</strong><br />
<strong>Springs</strong>. She began<br />
teaching 8th grade ELA<br />
in Fort Bend ISD and<br />
also taught 10th grade<br />
English in Alief ISD, following<br />
a brief experience<br />
in a small, rural school in Louisiana<br />
teaching 6th and 8th grade ELA.<br />
A native of Winnfield, La., she received<br />
her bachelor’s degree in English<br />
Education from Louisiana Tech University.<br />
She cites the incredible kids and wonderful<br />
colleagues as her favorite things<br />
about DSMS.<br />
Ms. Taylor has two four-legged children,<br />
Charlie and Coco, who love to go<br />
on road trips with her to visit her “human<br />
family” in Houston and Louisiana.<br />
They also love to walk in the parks and<br />
trails of Austin.<br />
Her hobbies include reading (appropriate<br />
for an English teacher) and cooking.<br />
She is also a fan of professional drag<br />
racing, and has traveled to many races<br />
on the professional circuit.<br />
Student Corner By Erin Lulfs, DSHS, 12th Grade<br />
do not take anything for granted, which<br />
made me realize how God has truly blessed<br />
me with the life I live.<br />
Initially, I kept visualizing what I was<br />
hoping would happen ... I was going into<br />
it with expectations. That was the worst<br />
thing I could have done. Before leaving, I<br />
realized I couldn’t try and envision what<br />
I wanted to happen because I wouldn’t<br />
want to be distraught when something<br />
didn’t go the way I thought it would. After<br />
coming to my senses, this helped me have<br />
a much more enjoyable trip.<br />
Those were my<br />
thoughts, now for<br />
my fears. Right<br />
now there is a<br />
huge cholera outbreak.<br />
Cholera<br />
is a major sickness<br />
that is killing<br />
thousands rapidly.<br />
It is spread by<br />
the water there. I<br />
was very nervous<br />
because I was<br />
afraid of getting<br />
cholera while I<br />
Spreading Cheer<br />
The <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> Middle <strong>School</strong> Choir<br />
provided musical entertainment at the<br />
annual Community Tree Lighting Ceremony<br />
on Dec. 4. The choir is under the<br />
direction of Ms. Rachel Frimel.<br />
was there.<br />
The first thing I noticed when I arrived<br />
was the filth. Living in Austin, everyone is<br />
pretty eco-friendly, so I don’t ever see<br />
trash on the sides of the roads. In Haiti<br />
though, there is no “Recon” trash company<br />
to come gather your trash for you.<br />
There would be trash lining the streets,<br />
piling up to five feet tall. Wild pigs<br />
would rummage through it. Also the little<br />
streams of water would be filled with sewage.<br />
And that water was not only used for a<br />
sewage deposit place, it was also used for<br />
drinking, bathing and for washing clothes.<br />
Being there made me feel humbled.<br />
These people are just like me. There is<br />
nothing different between us. We are all<br />
equal, and everyone there treated each<br />
other that way. I am no more important<br />
than the malnourished, abandoned children<br />
yearning for food and affection.<br />
Erin hopes to return to Haiti to help<br />
people there again some day.<br />
PAGE 6
Elementary Students Excel in UIL Academic Competition<br />
In late November Rooster <strong>Springs</strong><br />
Elementary hosted the UIL (University<br />
Interscholastic League) <strong>District</strong> Academic<br />
Meet. The meet included 140 second-<br />
through fifth-grade students. All three<br />
DSISD elementary schools were well-represented<br />
in the competition.<br />
The results were as follows:<br />
Creative Writing-2nd Grade: 1st-Coleman<br />
Chapman, DSE; 2nd-Presley Glass, DSE;<br />
3rd-Helena Bjeletich, RSE; 4th-Austin De-<br />
Berry, RSE; 5th Place-Cassie Argento, WSE;<br />
6th-Harris Coller, RSE<br />
Ready Writing-3rd Grade: 1st-Draven<br />
Stamper, RSE; 2nd-Mia Garino, RSE; 3rd-<br />
Katie Haberman, DSE; 4th-Ella Edwards,<br />
RSE; 5th-Maximilian Hodsden, WSE; 6th-<br />
Clarissa LaBarre, DSE<br />
Ready Writing-4th Grade: 1st-McKayla<br />
Cothern, DSE; 2nd-Madeline Fuchs, DSE;<br />
3rd-Vasi Bjeletich, RSE; 4th-Molly Moynihan,<br />
WSE; 5th-Sasha Pickard, RSE; 6th-<br />
Stephanie Hartnett, DSE<br />
Ready Writing-5th Grade: 1st-Kristie<br />
Lynn, RSE; 2nd Place-Trey McBurney, DSE;<br />
3rd-Amanda Meneses, RSE; 4th-Veronica<br />
Lopez, DSE; 5th-Emma Rodrigue, WSE;<br />
6th-Dallas Hudson, RSE<br />
Oral Reading-4th Grade: 1st-Sterling<br />
Silliman, WSE; 2nd-Josie Murillo, RSE; 3rd-<br />
Madeline McCraw, RSE; 4th-Kaitlyn Baker,<br />
DSE; 5th-Will Aguilar, DSE; 6th-Grace<br />
Fowler, DSE<br />
Oral Reading-5th Grade: 1st-Rob Thomas,<br />
DSE; 2nd (tie): Lizzie Beggs, RSE and Olivia<br />
Ford, RSE; 4th-Riley Ruchti, RSE; 5th-Ryan<br />
Lopez, WSE<br />
Number Sense-4th Grade: 1st-Vasi<br />
Bjeletich, RSE; 2nd-Christian Pundt, DSE;<br />
3rd-Calista Chervinskis, RSE; 4th-Nicholas<br />
Gullo, DSE; 5th-Charlotte LaPee, RSE<br />
Number Sense-5th Grade: 1st-Ryan<br />
Gahagan, RSE; 2nd-Salil Kanade, RSE; 3rd-<br />
Christopher Lee, DSE; 4th-Will Nix, DSE;<br />
5th-Dallas Hudson, RSE; 6th-Matt Darsey,<br />
DSE<br />
Social Studies-5th Grade: 1st-Sean<br />
O’Connor, RSE<br />
Maps, Graphs, and Charts-5th Grade:<br />
1st-Justin Malcom, RSE; 2nd-William Whitfield,<br />
RSE; 3rd-Cody Ellig, RSE<br />
Dictionary Skills-5th Grade: 1st-Matthew<br />
Kehm, RSE; 2nd-Trevor Bienvenu, DSE;<br />
3rd-Nathan Gullo, DSE; 4th-Jake Sierra,<br />
RSE<br />
Spelling-3rd Grade: 1st-Joshua Malcom,<br />
RSE; 2nd(tie)-Mia Garino, RSE, Olivia<br />
Garino, RSE and Allie Haberman, DSE;<br />
5th-Madelyn Pollack, DSE; 6th-Thomas<br />
Cowsar, DSE<br />
Spelling-4th Grade: 1st-Ken Gossett, DSE;<br />
2nd-Aubrie Caldwell, DSE; 3rd (tie): Ria Kumar,<br />
RSE and Julia Graham, RSE; 5th-Jessica<br />
Carmichael, DSE; 6th-Ethan French,<br />
RSE<br />
Spelling-5th Grade: 1st-Dylan Far, DSE;<br />
GIVING THANKS<br />
Students in Mrs. O’Banan’s second-grade class at <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> Elementary shared<br />
the story of the pilgrims and told what they are thankful for during a classroom presentation.<br />
Pictured are Claire Martinucci (left) and Reed Niccum.<br />
2nd-Mateo Martinez, RSE; 3rd-Madelyn<br />
Olivas, RSE; 4th-Emma Rodrigue, WSE;<br />
5th (tie)-Emily Argento-Bird, WSE and<br />
Lauren Elliott, WSE<br />
Listening-5th Grade: 1st-Jacob Lawrence,<br />
DSE; 2nd-Abby Brandt, RSE; 3rd-Clare<br />
Dobson, RSE; 4th-Katie Burns, RSE; 5th-<br />
Kayla Kibodeaux, WSE<br />
Art-4th Grade:<br />
1st-Ella Rosi, RSE; 2nd-Samantha Foster<br />
RSE; 3rd-Elizabeth Garza, DSE 4th-Lauryn<br />
Hess, RSE<br />
Art-5th Grade: 1st-Aish Chalak, RSE; 2nd-<br />
Amanda Meneses, RSE; 3rd-Henry Taylor,<br />
DSE; 4th-Lijana Young, RSE; 5th-Jordan<br />
Miller, WSE; 6th-Clara Whitworth, WSE<br />
Storytelling-2nd Grade: 1st Place-Jonah<br />
Frisby, RSE; 2nd-Aidan Isaac, RSE; 3rd-<br />
Marco Sifuentes, DSE; 4th-Jadon Putman,<br />
DSE; 5th-Hannah Cruz, RSE; 6th-Alex<br />
Goodson, WSE<br />
Storytelling-3rd Grade: 1st-Caroline Luttrull,<br />
DSE; 2nd-Ayla Koehler, DSE; 3rd-Jessica<br />
Byrnes, RSE; 4th-Jeffrey Walker DSE;<br />
5th-Morgan Shepperd, RSE; 6th-Caden<br />
Murray, WSE<br />
Music Memory-3rd Grade: 1st-Jason Oliphant,<br />
RSE; 2nd-Carl Birchfield, RSE; 3rd-<br />
Celeste Douglas, DSE; 4th-Carson Darling<br />
RSE; 5th-Kasey Fuguay, DSE<br />
Music Memory-4th Grade: 1st Place<br />
(tie)-Erika Gossett, DSE, Alexis Haydt, RSE,<br />
Mackenzie Noell, RSE and Camilla Paciolla,<br />
RSE; 5th-Alyssa Caldwell, DSE; 6th-<br />
Nicholas Johnson, DSE<br />
Music Memory-5th Grade: 1st-Bela<br />
Perez, DSE; 2nd-Gracyn Tippen, RSE; 3rd-<br />
Geno Albini, WSE<br />
Inside DSISD is the <strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong><br />
<strong>Independent</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> newsletter<br />
for parents, friends and the entire<br />
<strong>Dripping</strong> <strong>Springs</strong> community.<br />
Those wishing to submit photos or<br />
story suggestions, please contact <strong>District</strong><br />
Information Officer Dale Whitaker<br />
(dale.whitaker@dsisd.txed.net).<br />
Thanks to senior Erin Lulfs for contributing<br />
the “Student Corner” column.<br />
DRIPPING SPRINGS ISD<br />
Board of Trustees:<br />
Tim Kurpiewski, president<br />
Caroline Pekarek, vice pres.<br />
John Adams, secretary<br />
Alan Atwood<br />
Liz Ing<br />
Shelly Reeves<br />
Barbara Stroud<br />
Superintendent:<br />
Mard A. Herrick, Ph.D.<br />
PAGE 7