Raider football players, fans, cheerleaders, and trainers celebrate the game winning catch with .4 seconds left on the clock.

Sports at Dorchester Academy have captivated Raider fans;  monumental achievements and many headlines have filled the school and the Maroon and Gold. It is shocking that the year is not over yet. 

            The athletic year started off with a bang in the fall. This season, Volleyball had greater success than it ever. The team made the playoffs and won their first game in the playoffs.

     On the gridiron, the football team got Coach Gruber his 300^th win and won it all in the state championship.

            Then came basketball in the winter. The junior varsity girls placed second in the conference and had a great year. The varsity girls barely made it into the playoffs this season and lost to Richard Winn in a hard fought game in the first round. The varsity boys had a season just above .500 and gained a 6^th seed in the playoffs, only losing to Byrnes School in the first round in a close game. 

            Finally, spring sports arrived to cap off the athletic year for DA.  Varsity Softball made it into the State Tournament and got into Saturday, winning a game in the tournament. Junior Varsity Baseball had a good season winning the conference. Varsity Baseball won the conference and has made it all the way to the State Championship Series against First Baptist. 

           There have been many sports highlights and recognitions throughout this school year:  to possibly winning two state championships or reaching places and goals never accomplished before, sports have captivated the attention of students, teachers, and supporters of Dorchester Academy.

            “Tag has done t-shirts for as long as I can remember; if I need some, I’ll go to him,” Kit Kirby said. Kit Kirby is a regular customer of my granddad and also handles his investments and other financial situations.

            “He has made a comfortable living on t-shirts since he retired; he has become very skilled in the art and business involved with t-shirts” said my mother Tanya Godfrey Smith. She remembers clearly when he started doing them and helps with the t-shirts often.

            “I have done t-shirts for a long time and will still continue to do them; I love helping the community and helping others celebrate  great memories” my grandad said. He enjoys making t-shirts and is heavily relied upon in the community for shirts.

            My granddad enjoys his work and will continue to enjoy his work for the duration of his job.

            “I like to cook because I always cook supper for my family,” said Junior Abbie West; “its just something I like to do on my free time.”

            “I like to read, talk on the phone with my boyfriend, and play the XBOX.  I also occasionally play my guitar,” Junior Connor Quattlebaum said.

            There are a wide variety of students at Dorchester Academy, from students who listen to hard rock all the way to classical music.  Dorchester Academy has its share of different students, but we are all one big family at the Academy.

       “Next year we will have murals in the hallways,” headmaster Karen Neil said.

      “I would like  to have a media center by taking out the whole wall between labs two and three.  This way, we could incorporate the library with the two computer labs, so students could use books and computers at the same time,” Miss Karen said.

     Students also have ideas that could improve the school’s looks. 

     “I think we should paint the lockers maroon because it would add more color to the school instead of them being gray,” Junior Zoe Bartholomew said.

     Freshman Jordan Weathers agrees with Zoe that the school “could use more maroon to make it more interesting to look at instead of constantly gold on the walls.”

     As the year draws closer to an end, renovations will be made during the summer, and students will just have to find out what the 2011- 2012 year will hold.

                When asked about working with the lower school Mrs. Melissa said, “I loved working with the first grade because they were in amazement with everything we did.”

                “The second grade liked looking through the microscope; everything they looked at was awesome,” Mrs. Melissa said.

                “I liked Mrs. Melissa as a teacher because she was nice with the experiments,” first grader Jayden Smith said.

                The students have created a variety of experiments with Mrs. Melissa. Recently, the first graders worked with Mrs. Melissa in the lab on the five senses.

                “I liked when we used all of our senses on the different types of food,” first grader Anna Catherine Sosebee said.

               Between the experiments and playing outside on the playground, the classes have overall had a good year with Mrs. Melissa.  Mrs. Melissa has become a good addition to the lower school staff this year.

“I get to meet and interact with new people.” Brandon Bair said. He is ready to get up there and talk about sports and summer plans.

“I’m excited to learn about the government and how it works. It will also be nice to make new friends and get away,” said Colleen Berry. She we will make many new friends with her personality.

“Meeting new people and learning about the government will be helpful later on in life. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it with Brandon and Reese.” said Grande. He has a lot of plans over the summer, but he wants to make sure he has time for Boy’s State.

Boy’s and Girl’s State is a good experience for all of the rising seniors. It would be great if more students could attend.

 “I really felt accomplished to win Junior Miss because of the long weeks of practice and preparation,” said junior Brianna Shuler. She participated and won Junior Miss North.

“Being named Mr. Dorchester Academy was a great opportunity. I was grateful they chose me to be the role model for our entire school.” Reese won Mr. Dorchester Academy along with Elizabeth Brownlee, Miss Dorchester Academy.

“Pageants are a great way of expressing yourself, boosting self-confidence, and meeting new friends. They also teach you about life, losing, and everything not going your way,” Annsley Judy said. She participates in many pageants on the weekend, and she also was named Miss Grits.

Pageants can help girls and boys share their outgoing personality and receive scholarships. The stereo type of a pageant queen is not always right. For instance, some of our beauty queens, wear basketball jerseys and much more.

                Computer 101 and English 101 have been offered for many years now and have a reputation for involving many homework hours.  The classes demand many research papers, which is no teenager’s best friend.  Junior Nick McAlhany said, “I don’t want to take it because it is difficult, and I will wait to take it in college.”

                Junior Logan Bell said, “I do like that I would have Friday off, but I will be stressed out on the other four days.”  English 101 would be two periods on Monday and Wednesday.  Computer 101 would fill in the Tuesday and Thursday.  Friday is used as an open period.

                The classes requires about a $1000 fee on top of Dorchester Academy tuition.  So is it worth it to take it before college, or not?

5th Grade stands in front of a Ripley's Aquarium exhibit

Middle school students are not the easiest people to teach, but they are easy to entertain.  Savannah, Charleston, Jacksonville, and Myrtle Beach were all destinations for middle school field trips. 

              5^th Grader Ashlyn Nelson said, “It was amazing to pet a stingray.”  This opportunity was possible at Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach.  Sleeping bags covered the floor of the aquarium as they slept under the huge tanks filled with sharks.  The 5^th grade went with Robine Jackson.    

              The field trip to Savannah, Georgia included going on a carriage tour and dolphin sighting.  7^th Grader Elizabeth Hartzog said, “I think it was fun just cause we were out of school.”   

               The 8^th grade went on a trip to Downtown Charleston.  The trip included a ghost tour, Hunley exhibit, and trip to the market.  8^th Grader Hannah Creel said, “The shopping was great, considering it was on a field trip.” Field trips are a great way for the teachers to be around their students outside of the classroom. 

              The 6th grade went on an overnight trip to Jacksonville, Florida, which included watching a performance  of Cirque du Soleil.  6th Grader Clayton Jackson loved the special tricks that the men did.  

               Many middle schoolers did not care for the field trips, but were just happy to be out of school.  7^th Grader Brody Taylor said, “Next year, I want to go to Downtown Charleston on a ghost tour because they are scary.”