DWS D.A.R.E. Class Graduates

January 28, 2023
By: Bill Conger

Keeping kids away from drugs and alcohol is one key part of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program. Fifth grade students have been learning from the law enforcement curriculum during the first part of the school year at DeKalb West School. Under the guidance of School Resource Officer Billy Tiner, students were also taught assertiveness training techniques, anger management and conflict resolution skills, interpersonal and communication skills, how to enhance self-esteem, positive alternatives to substance use, and developing risk assessment and decision-making skills.

DWS D.A.R.E. students graduated from the program Thursday (January 26) in a special ceremony that was coordinated by Officer Tiner and attended by county officials, law enforcement personnel, school administrators, families and students. Students were handed certificates accomplishment for their successful completion of the program. Essay winners for the best paper on what they learned in D.A.R.E were announced. Hailey Brown was the winner from Ms. Jeanna Caplinger’s homeroom. Sophia Caraway had the best paper in Ms. Rachel Desimone’s homeroom. Levi Reynolds was the top essay winner overall. General Sessions/ Juvenile Court Judge Brandon Cox presented Reynolds with a $50 gift card along with other gifts from Officer Tiner.

Members of the 2022-2023 D.A.R.E. Graduating Class are the following: (from Ms. Jeanna Caplinger’s homeroom) Noah Bratcher, Hailey Brown, Christian Cripps, Lillian Dillard, Aiden Garza, Joseph Gebhart, Rebekah Gohs, Kayden Harbaugh, Bryce Harvey, Christopher Hebert, Landon Holmes, Brylee Key, Abram Maynard, Danny Prater, Charley Prichard, Emily Roberts, Braxton Taylor, Grady Thomason, James Upchurch, Preston Williams, Averie Winchester, and Bentley Wright; (from Ms. Rachel Desimone’s classroom) Ashetan Ahlgard, Maks Austin, Sophia Caraway, Billy Clark, Hunter Clemons, Jackson Dunaway, Zane Griffith, Mason “Bo” Hale, Hannah Harbaugh, Brayden Heflin, Abegayle Howard, Masen Mabe, Emma Marshall, William Marshall, Bentley Martin, Niccoli Moore, Lucas Nokes, Kayleigh Ramirez, and Levi Reynolds.

January 28, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Senior DCHS basketball cheerleader and Captain Amelia Atnip and Senior Tiger basketball player Robert Wheeler were crowned the school’s “Baron” and Baroness” Friday night culminating a weeklong Alumni Homecoming observance. The presentations were made as DCHS hosted Livingston Academy.

Each year a member of both the Tiger and Lady Tiger basketball programs are honored with the title of “Baron” and “Baroness” .

The DCHS Alumni Homecoming Attendants were: Freshmen Addison Swisher and Jon Hendrix; Sophomores Annabella Dakas and Seth Fuson; Juniors Abby Cross and Conner Close; and Seniors Madison Martin and Liam Wallace

“Alumni Week” is observed at DCHS much in the same way as homecoming week is celebrated during the football season and each year a member of both the Tiger and Lady Tiger basketball programs are honored with the title of “Baron” and “Baroness” and the presentation of those honors came between the boys and girls games Friday night. The name “Baron” and “Baroness” is taken from Revolutionary War hero Major General Baron Johann De Kalb for whom DeKalb County was named when the county was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1837.

The following is the order in how the DCHS Alumni Homecoming Attendants and then the Baron and Baroness were introduced Friday night:

Addyson Swisher-Freshman Attendant

Addyson Swisher is a freshman and the daughter of Iain and Kassy Swisher. She is the Freshman class President, a member of SGA, FBLA, Science Club, and a football cheerleader. Outside of school, you can find her spending time with her friends and family or with the members of Relentless Study Ministries; she also enjoys taking tumbling classes. Her favorite sports memory so far was cheering on the square during the homecoming parade. Her future plans are to attend the University of Tennessee and study pharmacy.

John Hendrix-Freshman Attendant Escort

John Hendrix is a freshman and the son of Bradley and Lori Hendrix. He plays on the football and basketball teams. Outside of school, he can be found spending time with his friends and family, participating in AAU Basketball, or with his Assembly of God church family. One sports memory that John will always remember is throwing a pick in the last play of the playoffs during the football season. His future plans are to become a physical therapist.

Annabella Dakas-Sophomore Attendant

Annabella Dakas is a sophomore and the daughter of John Dakas and Mandy Dakas. She has been a football and basketball cheerleader both for 2 years, played fastpitch softball for 1 year, and is in her first year of playing tennis for DCHS. She has been the Secretary of her class for 2 years and is a member of the Beta Club, FBLA, Science Club, Student Government, Spanish Club, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Outside of school, she can be found hanging out with all of her friends and is a member of the First Baptist Church Youth Group and Praise Team. Her favorite sport to participate in is cheerleading, and some of her favorite memories from this year are dancing with Reese and Sara during practices and games and having fun with friends at the dances. Annabella’s future plans include attending the University of Tennessee at Knoxville where she plans to major in Pre-med and become a Pediatrician.

Seth Fuson-Sophomore Attendant Escort

Seth Fuson is a sophomore and the son of Joe and Missy Fuson. He plays golf and basketball for DCHS and a member of the Beta, FBLA, and Science Club. Outside of school, Seth enjoys his church, his church youth group, camping, kayaking, and playing golf. His favorite sports memory includes anything in the basketball locker room. His future plans after graduating is to go to college to become a mechanical engineer.

Abby Cross-Junior Attendant

Abby Grace Cross is a junior and the daughter of Tony and Shelly Cross. She is a football manager, a member of FBLA, Beta, Science Club, and Spanish Club. She can be found outside of school spending time with her friends and family. Her favorite school memory was this years homecoming week. Her future plans after graduating is to attend Tennessee Tech University and to be accepted into their nursing program.

Conner Close-Junior Attendant Escort

Connor Close is a junior and the son of Richard and Gina Close. He plays basketball and is a member of Beta, FBLA, Science Club, and FFA. Outside of school, Conner is an active member of Mt. Herman Baptist Church youth group as well as an usher, and an assistant Sunday School director. His favorite sports memory includes getting his first start as a sophomore at White House and scoring 29 points along with his first dunk. Also, another great memory is getting to play travel basketball under former UT basketball star Vincent Yarbrough. His future plans after graduating is to play college basketball and earn a degree in agriculture and come home to coach basketball here in DeKalb County.

Madison Martin-Senior Attendant

Madison Martin is a senior and the daughter of Terry and Jennifer Martin. She plays softball and basketball, and a member of FBLA, FCA, ACT 21+ , Service Society, and Beta Club. Her favorite activity outside of school is being a member of Salem Baptist Church youth group. Her favorite school memory was being in the homecoming parades every year. Her future plans after graduating is to attend college and become a radiologist.

Liam Wallace-Senior Attendant Escort

Liam Wallace is a senior and the son of Phillip and Melissa Wallace. He is SGA Class officer. His favorite activity outside of school is watching Survivor and playing chess. His favorite school memory is screaming “Tigers #1”. His future plans after graduating is to attend Tennessee Tech University and save his money up.

Amelia Atnip-Baroness

Amelia Atnip is a senior and the daughter of Jessica Higgins and Jason Atnip. She is a 3 year basketball cheerleader and currently serves as one of the captains on the cheer team. She is a member of FBLA, ACT 21+ club, Service Society, Science Club, Literature Club, and Spanish Club. Outside of school, you can find her spending time with friends and family and attending Mt. Herman Baptist Church. Her favorite sports memory was cheer camp bonding with the new team and making great memories. Her future plans after graduating is to attend MTSU and acquire a degree.

Robert Wheeler-Baron

Robert Wheeler is a senior and the son of Kim Wheeler and the late Scott Wheeler. He has played basketball for DCHS for 4 years, a member of Beta, FBLA, and the ACT 29+ Club. You can find him outside of school spending time with friends and family. His favorite sports memory was the DCHS Basketball team beating Smith County his senior year at Smith County. His future plans after graduating is to attend college and pursue his goal of becoming a physician.

January 28, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

January 22-28, 2023 is School Board Appreciation Week in Tennessee and the DeKalb County School District is joining public school districts from across the state to celebrate the observance and honor local board members for their commitment to DeKalb County and its children.

The theme “Let’s Face It – School Boards Work” reminds us to celebrate the unique role school boards play in building a future for their students, championing and advocating for quality education, and governing their local public schools. As the elected representatives of the people in their local communities, they represent their local communities’ voice and vision for the future of their public schools.

“It takes strong leaders to build a strong community, and these men and women devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level,” said Director of Schools Patrick Cripps.

The school board’s main goal is to support student achievement, Director Cripps added. To achieve that goal, the board focuses on the following needs:

• Creating a vision for what the community wants the school district to be and for making student achievement the top priority.

• Setting the direction of the school district to achieve the highest student performance.

• Ensuring progress is measured to be sure the district’s goals are achieved and students are learning at expected levels.

• Supporting a healthy and safe school district culture in which to work and to learn;

• Forming partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems; and

• Focusing on continuous improvement by questioning, examining, revising, refining, and revisiting issues related to student achievement.

“Even though we are making a special effort during the last week of January to show appreciation for our school board members, we recognize their contributions reflect a year-round effort on their part,” Director Cripps said.

The school board members serving DeKalb County are as follows: Danny Parkerson, Alan Hayes, Jim Beshearse, Eric Ervin,, Jamie Cripps, Jason Miller, and Shaun Tubbs

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