Teachers at Sycamore Springs Middle School welcome students back on their first day in classes. PHOTO SUBMITTED BY DSISD
SUBMITTED BY KRISTIN TOOKER
Students enter Dripping Springs High School. PHOTO SUBMITTED BY DSISD
Parents escort students to their classrooms on the first day at Cypress Springs Elementary. PHOTO SUBMITTED BY DSISD
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SUBMITTED BY HOLLY DEMRO MACPHERSON
SUBMITTED BY KALLI SKAGGS
SUBMITTED BY ERIN ANDERSON CHAFFE
SUBMITTED BY ALINE CARDIN
SUBMITTED BY APRIL DELEON BOLIN
SUBMITTED BY HOLLY DEMRO MACPHERSON
SUBMITTED BY STEFFANY DUKE
SUBMITTED BY APRIL DELEON BOLIN
SUBMITTED BY CHYRAWNDA SCHULTZ
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Welcome back, Tigers
Dripping Springs Independent School District has reopened its doors to students in-person and online for the 2021– 2022 school year.
Students in grades pre-K through 12 headed back to their respective campuses on Tuesday, Aug. 17 with masks optional — for the first time in over a year. The five elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school collectively saw the attendance of well over 7,000 students.
Additionally, DSISD’s Virtual Academy for students in kindergarten through fifth grade began on Tuesday, Aug. 24. The enrollment process for the Virtual Academy was held in early August, and the program is meant to accommodate the lack of vaccines for children under the age of 12.
With no mask requirement for the district, many said that they felt the return to school in-person was a step towards a return to normal. Paul Erb, Dripping Springs High School parent, reflected on the first week of school at the Aug. 24 DSISD Board of Trustees meeting, saying he’d seen his daughter’s friends’ smiles return.
“She has a much better demeanor at home,” Paul said of his daughter, an eleventh grader at DSHS. “Choice has proven that everyone can get along, as friends that are masked and friends that are not masked. Everyone is having a good time, looking forward to getting assemblies open again, getting the pep rallies going to build school spirit… we’ve got football games coming up!”
The DSHS junior varsity and varsity football teams hosted New Braunfels for a scrimmage on Friday, Aug. 20. at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively. The varsity team’s first game will be at Kerrville Tivy this Friday, Aug. 27, at 7:30 p.m.