ETSU Honors Scholars  - October 2010

• To be selected, students must have exceptional academic credentials and must show evidence of strong community and leadership activities.  They receive full scholarships to ETSU and participate in a specially designed curriculum.
  • Leah Rose, Class of 2010

AP Scholars  - August 2010

• AP Scholar with Honor Award  - Students earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.
  • Dylan Bryant, Class of 2011
  • Christina Thompson, Class of 2011
• AP Scholar Award - Students completing three or more AP Exams with scores of 3 or higher.
  • Kaitlyn Hawkins, Class of 2011
  • Lindsey Kyker, Class of 2011
  • Emily Runion, Class of 2011
  • Cassie StJohn, Class of 2011

Equine Chronicle
October 5, 2011
By: Brittany Bevis

For AQHA novice youth exhibitor, Madison Cochran, the reality of stepping into the pen for the first time at the 2011 All American Quarter Horse Congress is understandably a little nerve-wracking. But with an accomplished horse, talented trainer and a little bit of "borrowed luck" from a certain industry professional, she hopes to make her first trip to the Congress a memorable one.

Cochran and her horse, Zippos Texas Twostep, aka "Tex," plan to compete this year at the Congress in the Novice Youth 14-18 Western Pleasure, Showmanship, Western Riding, Trail, and Horsemanship classes. But during her preparations for the upcoming show, Cochran realized she was missing one important piece of her horse show ensemble, a belt buckle.

(CLICK HERE to view the rest of the article.)

May 14, 2012 in the DCHS GYmnasium

Class of 2012 Top 10 Percent

Click here to see the rest of the awards

Congratulations to Mikayla Chambers, sophomore and daughter of Mark and Abby Chambers of Jonesborough. Mikayla has been selected to represent David Crockett High School at the 11th Annual CheerHawaii USA in the summer of 2012. The CheerHawaii USA Invitational is very unique and has become one of the most popular prep cheer camps in the country. The camp helps cheerleaders learn leadership skills, personal development and collegiate cheerleading expectations, and expose them to cheer scholarships and expectations for collegiate tryouts. David Crockett High School is very proud of Mikayla's accomplishment and wishes her much success as she prepares for this exciting opportunity.

Mr. David Yates, Biology Teacher at David Crockett High School was named Washington County Conservation Educator of the Year 2011-12. Mr. Yates was nominated because of the outstanding job he does in the classroom and beyond with his students. His program at DCHS is highly requested each semester by students who want to be involved in active learning. 

Mr. Yates was honored at the Washington County SCD Banquet and was presented a plaque. The administration and staff at DCHS are proud of his accomplishments.

  FCCLA State Competition
April 9-12

Hayley Kelley, Tiffany Ryan and Katie Whitaker received first place in the state FCCLA National Programs in Action for their work with fighting childhood obesity.

DeAnna Owens and Ashlynn Rogers received second place in the state Community Service project for their work with the homeless.

Both groups will advance to National competition in Orlando, Florida in July.

Mary Southerland received The Distinguished Service Award which recognizes outstanding contributions and continuing service by individuals whose primary responsibilities are directly related to the FCCLA's programs.

Jessica Gourley, MS, RD, LDN, CDE is a former David Crockett FCCLA member and the Registered dietitian for Food City.  Jessica received The Honorary Membership Award which recognizes persons whose professional responsibilities are not directly related to FCCLA but who have made outstanding contributions and provide continuing service to the national organization. She was recognized for her continued support to the David Crockett chapter and our organization.

FCCLA District STAR Events

The following students won first place in the FCCLA District STAR Events (Students Taking Action for Recognition) on February 27 at ETSU:

These students will be preparing more nutrition snacks and talking to students and parents during the 8th grade involvement fair on March 6 at David Crockett High School.
 
They will compete in the state competition on April 10 in Nashville.

  2012 State FFA Nursery and Landscaping CDE Champions!

David Crockett FFA members Bryce, Kareena, Jonathan, and Rebekah are the 2012 State FFA Nursery and Landscaping CDE Champions!
 
After winning the Regional FFA Nursery and Landscaping CDE at UT-Knoxville, the team qualified to compete in the State Contest at TN Tech University in Cookeville.  Competing against only those high-quality teams that finished in the top of their region, David Crockett FFA placed 1st.  They will now represent Tennessee in the national contest.
 
Team members are: 

It's a tremendous accomplishment to win a state FFA contest.  If anyone wins a state FFA contest, they have definitely earned it. With over 13,000 FFA members in TN, there are plenty of people who go 'all out' to win.  In the Nursery and Landscaping CDE, 1st and 2nd place were separated by 31 points out of 1800 total possible points.
 
This is the 3rd State FFA Championship CDE Team from David Crockett, including the 2nd this year.  It's rare to win a State FFA contest; Bryce, Kareena, and Rebekah just accomplished something more rare, which so few have ever done -- win 2 State FFA contests.
 
The contest is composed of 5 individual events and 1 team event: general knowledge exam, plant identification, landscape estimating, written or verbal assistance exercise, and a nursery production exercise.  The team activity involved a landscape drawing and presentation of the drawing to a panel. The written exercise was a hand-written business letter. The overall contest is quite exhaustive, pulling skills from mathematics, English, and biology.
 
An incredible amount of hard work, energy, and dedication from the members went into this contest as they studied and practiced daily. I am overwhelmingly impressed by this team -- they had lots of fun preparing and traveling to the contest, but when it was time to focus, they focused.  They really excelled in the team event, getting a perfect score; they are a close-knit team that believes in unity.
 
Now comes the reward -- the opportunity to compete against the other 49 states in the National FFA Nursery and Landscaping CDE during the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in October. They will spend 2 days with state-winning nursery teams from Alaska to Florida. Before then, they will spend countless hours preparing.
 
Thank you for your continued support of the team.  They greatly appreciate it.

DCHS Envirothon Team

DCHS Envirothon Team placed 2nd in the State Envirothon Contest on May 1-2.  Team members are Bryce Bateman, Kareena Jones, Raini Rowenhorst, Sydney Sexton, and Rebekah Wright.  The State Envirothon includes the 12 regional winning team; some of which are from private schools.  State runner-up is quite an accomplishment!  The competition consists of five components that relate to Biology, Agriculture, and Natural Resources:  Aquatics, Soils, Forestry, Wildlife, and a current Environmental issue.  Also, the team had to prepare a presentation based on an environmental scenario given at the contest.

84th Tennessee State FFA Convention

David Crockett FFA attended the 84th Tennessee State FFA Convention in Gatlinburg from Sunday, April 1 to Wednesday, April 4, 2012. Attending members were Bryce Bateman, Kayla Jones, Kareena Jones, Jonathan Lykins, Chase Partin, Hunter Morrow, Raini Rowenhorst, Jed Sayre, Sydney Sexton, Brooke Stallsmith, and Rebekah Wright.
 
In traveling to Gatlinburg, these members had the experience of a lifetime. They attended sessions that were jam packed with inspirational speeches, retiring addresses from the state officers, and countless awards. Between sessions, members attended leadership workshops and defined their leadership skills even further.
 
Several awards were received by the chapter. The chapter received the Tennessee Superior Chapter Award; the chapter was named a National Chapter Award - Gold Emblem Chapter (one of only 11); and the chapter received an award for the Chapter Challenge.
 
Chase Partin placed 1st in the Agriscience Fair Project, Plant Science Division. He will represent the state at the National level.  Also competing were Bryce Bateman and Hunter Morrow.
 
The following received the State FFA Degree: Bryce Bateman, Kayla Jones, Kareena Jones, Jonathan Lykins, Raini Rowenhorst, Jed Sayre, Sydney Sexton.
 
Bryce Bateman, Kareena Jones, and Rebekah Wright received an award for winning the State Forestry CDE.
 
Mr. Ron Dykes received the Honorary State FFA Degree.

Regional Envirothon Competition

David Crockett High School placed 1st in the Regional Envirothon Competition on April 25.  Team members are: Bryce Bateman, Kareena Jones, Raini Rowenhorst, Sydney Sexton, and Rebekah Wright.  The competition consists of 5 components that relate to Biology, Agriculture, and Natural Resources: Aquatics, Soils, Forestry, Wildlife, and a Current Environmental Issue. The team qualifies to compete in the State Envirothon in Crossville next week.
 
Also competing in the Regional Envirothon were: Team B - 5th place = Kayla Jones, Jonathan Lykins, Hunter Morrow, Chase Partin, and Brooke Stallsmith; and Team C - 7th place = Bethany McCurry, Jessi Robinette, Jed Sayre, and Audrey Stout.

Regional FFA Nursery and Landscaping Contest

Congratulations to David Crockett FFA for winning the Regional FFA Nursery and Landscaping Contest on Saturday, March 24. Team members are:Bryce Bateman (1st High Individual), Kareena Jones (2nd High Individual), Rebekah Wright (3rd High Individual), and Jonathan Lykins (6th High Individual). They qualify to compete in the State contest in April.Also competing were Kayla Jones and Chase Partin.

2012-13 East TN FFA Regional Officer Team

David Crockett FFA Team Wins State Forestry Competition
Published August 19, 2011
By Amanda Marsh - Press Staff Writer

Anyone can call themselves a forestry aficionado, but David Crockett High School's Forestry Team has the credentials to prove it.

The group of three students and one recent graduate quizzed, measured and paced their way to the top spot in the Tennessee FFA Forestry CDE back in June. The victory was huge, but to the team, the real reward was a pass to the national competition set for mid-October. The group became pretty tight-knit while spending months studying material about tree identification and how to use a Biltmore Stick to measure their diameter and determine how many logs they would produce.

Click Here to read the rest of the article.

PIONEER PRIDE RUNS RED: David Crockett High School and the American Red Cross held its' tri-annual blood drive September 8, 2011.  180 Crockett students, faculty and community members joined together with the American Red Cross to collect 160 units of blood.  20 units were collected from first time donors.  DCHS students active with the club HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) had an integral part in organizing the blood drives.  HOSA students begin planning for the event weeks ahead to ensure a high collection rate.  They work together with peers and faculty weeks before the blood drive in an effort to minimize disruption in the classrooms. HOSA recently received an award from the American Red Cross recognizing David Crockett High School as the largest high school blood drive in the Carolina's region for 2010.  Crockett students have proven to be "True Pioneers" for community involvement.

DCHS HOSA went to California for national convention and received a TOP TEN HOSA In the Nation Award! Also, Justin Jennings, Logan Noah and Kendra Baines received National Recognition Award for their portfolios while Savannah Livingston, Stephanie Hodge and Westley Canter received the President of the USA Volunteer Service Award and the Barbara James Service Award from HOSA.

DCHS Relay for Life Team raised $1879.23 during the Relay for Life of Washington County in June!

TMTA Math Contest Top 10's

The contest is conducted as an academic festival where students represent their school in competition with others at a nearby Testing Center. These specially selected school representatives compete with others for preeminence in their region and in the state.
 
There are six divisions in the Contest: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Statistics, Precalculus, and Calculus and Advanced Topics. A student may compete in only one division.

 February 11, 2012

Miss DCHS: Brooklyn Snapp

1st Runner-up: Hannah Jarrett

2nd Runner-up: Megan Cottage

Talent: Savannah Beals

Interview: Rebekah Wright

Miss Congeniality: Samantha Lewis

Kristina King has won the Women & Information Technology Award from Tennessee Technology Center in Crossville, Tn. She accepted her award along with $100.00 on April 21, 2012.  The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing honors young women at the high-school level for their computing-related achievements and interests. The Award offers both national and local "affiliate" competitions to generate support and visibility for women's participation in communities nationwide.

ROTC National Champions

On Friday July 1, 2011, the David Crockett High School NJROTC rifle team won the National Junior Olympic Three Position Air Rifle Championship at Camp Perry, Ohio.  Pioneer shooters took first place in the sporter scholastic division competing against 21 state champion teams from as far away as Hawaii, as well as shooting against individuals from the South African National Junior team.  The Pioneer team was led by national record holder Shawn Wingerter who finished seventh among the 164 shooters.  Matt Hawkins, Jessica Kudera, Jesse Adams, and Meghan Lockwood rounded out Crockett's  team.

The National Junior Olympics is a two day competition where shooters fire 60 total shots each day from prone, standing, and kneeling positions, on an indoor range at 10 meters.  Teams qualify by competing in state competitions in the spring.  David Crockett High School has represented Tennessee the past four years.  Crockett's rifle team is made up of Navy JROTC cadets who practice three days a week during the school year, and compete in competitions in Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Ohio.

DCHS NJROTC Rifle Team Wins
5th Consecutive State Championship

Congratulations to the DCHS NJROTC rifle team for winning the TN State Air Rifle Championship this past weekend in Nashville.  The team was led by Jesse Adams and Matt Hawkins who also finished first and third respectively in the individual competition.  The Pioneer team was rounded out by Chasity Mullins, Justin Ojeda, John-Keith Verble and Casey Arwood.  This is the fifth year in a row that we have won the state championship.

DCHS NJROTC Female Orienteering Team

Congratulations to the DCHS NJROTC girls orienteering team for their first place in Greeneville on Saturday.  This competition involved using a map and compass to locate specific check points over a 3 mile range.  The team consisted of Candace Cross, Chasity Mullins, Ashlee Lockwood, Casey Arwood, and Stacy Persighin.

Old school photography: Crockett students develop skills in
film, darkroom techniques

Published February 27, 2012
By Madison Mathews - Press Staff Writer
Johnson City Press

After the last two years in Kay Grogg's photography class at David Crockett High School, senior Megan Cottage sees the world differently.

Where she used to just take out her digital point-and-shoot camera and snap away, Cottage now takes time to look at the subject she's photographing. She sees lines, composition and the way a certain setting on the camera can manipulate the image - all thanks to Grogg's lessons.

Click Here to read the entire article.

  State SkillsUSA Results

T.J. Lane finished 2nd in the Precision Machining Competition at the state level. It is a hard  competition and he did very well.

Regional SkillUSA Competition

Local Career Technical Education students competed Tuesday, February 28th at Northeast State Community College for the annual regional SkillsUSA competition. We are very proud to announce the following awards for DCHS entrants:

These students have the opportunity to attend the State SkillsUSA competition in Chattanooga in April.

Special Olympics were held in the ETSU Mini-Dome on Friday, April 27^th, 2012.  Congratulations to the following winners:

• Andrew Cissom - Bronze Medal, Standing Long Jump.
• Cody Crain - Gold medals for softball throw and 200 meter dash.
• Marty Dykes - Gold medal for 50 yard dash.
• Molly Gladden - Gold medal for softball throw.
• Kim Harrison - Bronze medal for softball throw.
• Austin Himmel - Silver medal for softball throw.
• Kathy Hughes - Silver medal for softball throw.
• Daniel Marotte - Silver Medal, Standing Long Jump.
• James Marotte - Bronze medal for 50 yard dash.
• Daniel Miller - Bronze Medal, Standing Long Jump and Bronze Medal for 50 meter dash.
• Hannah Murphy - Silver medal for softball throw and a Bronze medal for the 100 yard dash.
• Chad Starling - Gold Medal, Standing Long Jump and Gold Medal, 100 Meter Dash.
• Jordan St. John - 4th Place in 50 meter dash and 5th Place in 100 meter dash.
• Chris Whited - Silver medal for softball throw and a Gold medal for the 50 yard dash.

TSA State Competition

David Crockett High School had 4 First place 1 Second Place and  1 third place At TSA State on  April 2nd - 4th in Chattanooga.

• 1st Place:Vex Robotics - Garrett Wright & Ivan Vazquez
  2nd Place:Vex Robotics - Aaron Hill & Roger Rains
• 1st Place:TSA - Garrett Wright & Ivan Vazquez
  3rd Place:TSA - Aaron Hill & Roger Rains
• 1st Place:Video Game Design - Jon Hamrick, Jacob Long, Bradley Lakey & Dylan Lovin
• 1st Place:Essays On Technology - Cassy Davis

TSA Regional Competition

Megan Canonizado won her second TSSAA State Wrestling Championship.

"It is a really big commitment, but it's really important for me to do something this big and get this far with it," said Kareena Jones, a 16-year-old junior and forestry team member. "I had never entered a contest and gotten this far with it and I just got so interested. I've became committed to it because I'm so interested and I'm good at it, plus I'm really passionate about it."

Jones, plus the rest of the forestry team ­- Brittany Sparks, Rebekah Wright and Bryce Bateman - will continue to study relentlessly for the next two months until they make the trip to Indianapolis to compete against 35-40 state teams. It's not unusual for them to spend three hours after school filling their brains full of potential general knowledge questions as well as forestry-related scenarios they could be asked about in the interview portion of the competition. Some of their study time is spent outside along the trails near the school practicing their compass and pacing techniques.

As the leaves turn, Wright says they'll have to pay more attention to the bark so they can quickly identify trees in the group portion, when they'll have 30 minutes to name and measure 15 trees. It sounds somewhat simple in theory, but when other teams are looking for the same information at the same time, the competitive nature of the contest comes into play.

"Everybody is out there at once, so everyone is trying to measure the same tree and you can't let them see your answers," said Wright, a senior.

The forestry team scored well above their competitors in the statewide contest at Camp Clements in Doyle and also placed first in regionals held last May at Backbone Rock Recreation Area. Wright was the second-highest- scoring individual in the State FFA Forestry CDE, followed by Jones, Bateman and Sparks. Bateman, a 16-year-old junior, was first in regionals. Besides their winning efforts in FFA, the group members are also good students.

"They have a lot of fun during practice and they're really good friends and they aggravate each other a lot, but when it comes time to focus, they focus," said Ryan Arnett, agriculture teacher and FFA adviser. "These are the type of students that you don't have to tell them what to do. They just do it on their own."

Their dedication to the National Forestry CDE is evident in the thick binders filled with notes that each of the forestry-fanatics carry with them. Otherwise known as their "lifelines" and the pillow they sleep with each night, the colorful tabs divide between areas of study like chainsaw and wood identification, plus maps and forestry business questions. Wright, Jones and Bateman say that block scheduling helps them find time between academics to study for the upcoming contest. Sparks, a freshman at Walters State Community College, has scheduled classes two days per week, so she'll have three days free to study with fellow members. Because she was a senior at the regional competition, she's eligible to compete in nationals.

"I just want to make everyone proud, including my peers, by showing that agriculture is important," Sparks said. "The competition isn't all about agriculture, either, it's about being a leader within this group and bringing us together and building this strong bond while working toward this one goal."

Individually, Bateman is the only member who's specifically interested in a career in forestry, while the others became fascinated with the subject several months ago.

"I love the woods and that's what inspired me to take the class," he said. "I like being outdoors and hunting and after Mr. Arnett informed us about the forestry contest, I began studying and we placed fourth in state my freshman year and now we picked up first place."

The forestry team is looking for gold at nationals, which would give them scholarship money and a lot of prestige. Either way, this long and knowledge-driven journey has given them tools they can use for the rest of their lives.

"One thing that I find helpful is that we actually know about the world around us," said Wright "A lot of people just don't know anything and when I go outside I actually know what kind of trees are around. I find it fascinating that we can never be deprived of that knowledge."

Luckily, she was able to get in touch with one very accomplished AQHA horse trainer, who would like to remain anonymous, who agreed to mail her one of his World Champion buckles for use as a little bit of "borrowed luck."

"I have always loved horses," Cochran says. "My family always had a trail horse or two, but it was after we went to watch a Quarter Horse show that I was hooked! I started showing at 12 and my first show horse was Good Timin Dee. I showed 'DeeDee' at local shows."

"My next horse was Royal Version, aka 'Little Roy.' He was the horse I rode at my first Quarter Horse show in Colfax, North Carolina, with my trainer at the time, Roy Houser."

Cochran started out her AQHA youth career showing in halter, showmanship, and horsemanship classes, but says her first love has always been western pleasure. In fact, Cochran and Tex were named the Reserve Champions at the recent AQHA Region 10 show in both showmanship and western pleasure.

After gaining more experience in all-around classes, Cochran was able to take home her first Novice Youth High Point award at a recent horse show in Camden, North Carolina.

Although Cochran has never competed at the Congress before, her horse Tex is a Congress veteran, having accumulated multiple Top Ten finishes in a host of all-around events.

"Tex is a 14-year-old gelding, and he has been to the Congress multiple times in multiple classes," she says. "Tex is very smart and has taught me a lot. He has a puppy dog personality."

Cochran is eagerly looking forward to competing in the coming weeks with Tex, and says that one of her goals is to come home with a Top Ten finish. However, she is just excited and thankful to be able to have the chance to show at the Congress.

"I'm excited just to have the opportunity to show at the Congress, but I would love to get in the Top Ten," she says. "Horsemanship is my favorite class. It's a class that you never know what the judges are going to throw at you. It requires you to stay focused on both you and your horse. Tex and I make a good pair because neither of us give up easy."

Madison Cochran and Zippos Texas Twostep will be competing at the 2011 All American Quarter Horse Congress in the Novice Youth 14-18 All-Around events under the guidance of her horse trainer, Rickey Moore, from Mebane, NC.

"He is a very talented trainer, who has taught me a lot in the short time I've been in his barn," she says.

As far as the little bit of "borrowed luck," Cochran had this to say about her generous buckle donator.

"He mentioned that someone had loaned him a buckle during one of his first trips to the Congress, and he would be happy to loan me one," she says. "I couldn't believe someone as talented and well-known as him would take the time to respond to me. I can't think of a better good luck charm!"

We would like to wish Madison Cochran and Zippos Texas Twostep the very best of luck in their debut at the 2011 All American Quarter Horse Congress.

Tennessee Scholars

Departmental Awards

Presidential Awards for Academic Excellence

Presidential Awards for Academic Achievement