December 2010 - Dripping Springs Independent School District

Student-Athletes Make College Commitments
Superintendent Mard Herrick, Principal Kim Cousins and Athletic Director
Howard Ballard pose with athletes who signed national letters of
intent and their coaches.
Five Dripping Springs High School
student-athletes signed national letters
of intent to compete in their respective
sports at Division I universities. A ceremony
was held Nov. 12 that featured
the students, their coaches and families
as they inked their letters. Principal Kim
Cousins welcomed those in attendance
and introduced Athletic Director Howard
Ballard and the three head coaches.
Baseball player Parker French committed
to the University of Texas at Austin,
volleyball player Rachael McLamore is
headed to Ole Miss, volleyball player
Mackenzie Neely signed with Northwestern
State (La.), and softball players Cassie
Carroll and Tina Cisneros will play at Texas
A&M Corpus Christi and New Mexico
State, respectively. Below is information
about each DSHS senior.
French will be a fourth-year starter
this spring. He has pitched and played
third base, and received all-district honors
for three straight years. Last spring he
was named MVP for District 26-4A after
recording a 15-0 pitching record. He also
earned academic all-district honors each
of the past three seasons. As a member
of Team USA 2009, French won a Gold
Medal, beating Korea and Cuba. His coach
is Chris Payne.
Cassie Carroll and Tina Cisneros
helped lead the softball team of Head
Coach Keith Tuck to the 2008 state
tournament and both are within reach of
the school record for career homeruns.
Carroll, an infielder, enters her third
season as a starter and was named to the
All-District First Team each of the past two
years. Cisneros, who will be a four-year
varsity starter at third base, earned a spot
on the All-District First Team in both 2009
and 2010 after receiving second-team
recognition as a freshman.
Volleyball Coach Michael Kane announced
that two of his players will play
at Division I universities.
McLamore has been a four-year
starter and letterwinner. She was selected
as Newcomer of the Year in 2007, and has
earned all-district honors every year of
her high school career. McLamore also has
been honored as a member of the Academic
All-District Team every year.
Also a four-year starter, Neely was
named to the All-District First Team in
2007, 2008 and 2009 and earned a spot
on the All-Centex Second Team as a
sophomore. She also received academic
all-district honors all three years.
Students Chosen as
Contest Finalists
Two Dripping Springs High School
sophomores have been selected as finalists
in local competitions.
Tori Baker,
a member
of the DSHS
Speech and
Debate Team,
won the Dripping
Springs
VFW Voices
of Democracy
Speech
Contest. As
the winner of the local competition, she
will advance to the district level with her
speech on the topic “Does My Generation
Have a Role in America’s Future?” Tori
won a $100 prize for her local win and will
compete for $500 in the district contest;
winners advance to the state competition.
Connor
Crawford, an
English II Pre-AP
student, was
selected to be
a finalist in the
2011 Youth Tour
Competition
sponsored by
Pedernales Electric
Cooperative.
He will be competing against 12 other
area finalists to win a trip to Washington,
D.C. Crawford will present his ideas on
the types of green jobs, programs, and
services that would have a positive impact
on the energy sector of the Central Texas
economy.
PAGE 3