After earning fourth place out of 17 teams at the Friendswood Marching Contest last Saturday, the DHS band is preparing for a long day this Saturday, October 4 when they travel to the Galena Park ISD Marching Band Festival for a 9:15 a.m. performance before attending the 2 p.m. DHS varsity football game in Clear Creek ISD.

Looking ahead, the band will compete at UIL Region Marching Contest October 18 in Pearland ISD. All bands earning an overall "1" rating will advance to area contest on October 25 in Galena Park ISD.

The top bands at area will then advance to the UIL State Marching Band Contest November 4 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Week of September 29, 2014

Gators win big twice -- once in football, once at cancer fun run

Coming off a huge 49-7 victory against Clear Lake High School at the Homecoming game this past Friday night, the Dickinson High School varsity football team grabbed a few hours sleep and then on Saturday morning made the trip to Pearland to show their support at the Big Love Cancer Care Fun Run.

Trish Lankford, Dickinson ISD Director of Career and Technology and Career Readiness, was participating in the Fun Run along with her nephew, Allen Eames, a DHS varsity football player. Lankford approached Athletic Director and Head Coach John Snelson about Eames missing Saturday morning practice to participate in the fun run.

Snelson thought it was a great idea and in turn decided to take it a step further by turning the fun run into the morning practice and also a great team building exercise.

"It was really emotional to see the team walk down the street together that morning to get in line for the fun run. At the end of the race, our players lined both sides of the finish line and cheered on and high fived the other runners as they finished. This is a great group of young men," said Lankford.

On behalf of the players participating, Lankford donated $500 to the Big Love Cancer Care organization with a ceremonial sign donated by The Sign Shop in League City. B.I.G. Love Cancer Care is a non-profit, volunteer based organization established in 2007 to provide basic necessities and personalized care to cancer kids and their families. They make weekly visits to the cancer patients at Texas Children's Hospital and offer to purchase up to $25 a week in needed items from Wal-Mart. In addition, they provide gift baskets to the children and their families on special occasions and fill a toy chest with goodies for the children to have a toy after a procedure.

Gators ready for 2 p.m. SATURDAY away game against Clear Brook

The Gators will have Friday night off this week as they prepare for a Saturday away game against Clear Brook High School. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, October 4 at Clear Creek ISD's Veteran's Memorial Stadium, 2305 East Main Street in League City.

The Gators are off to a great start this year with a 4-0 record for the season and a 1-0 record in district.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Dickinson High School Field House today (Thursday) until 3 p.m. and on Friday from 8 a.m.-12 noon. Advanced purchase tickets are $4 for students and $6 for adults. All tickets purchased at the gate on Saturday afternoon are $8 each.

Seven grads to be recognized at Distinguished Alumni and Athletic Hall of Honor banquet

The accomplishments of seven Dickinson High School alumni will be recognized this month when the Dickinson ISD Alumni Association hosts its annual Distinguished Alumni Awards and Dickinson High School Athletic Hall of Honor Banquet. The banquet is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25 in the Gilruth Center at NASA Johnson Space Center.

These prestigious awards recognize Dickinson ISD graduates who have excelled in sports, their field of expertise or made significant contributions to their communities or through their chosen professions. The Dickinson ISD Alumni Association is celebrating its fifth year of the Distinguished Alumni Awards, while the Dickinson High School Athletic Hall of Honor is inducting its 14th class of former DHS athletes who have excelled in sports. Several years ago, the two organizations joined together to recognize both groups at the annual banquet in October.

This year's Distinguished Alumni honorees include Dr. Gilbert Veasey, Sr., Dr. James Schulze, Dr. Mark Lussier and the late James (Jim) E. Butler.

Dr. Veasey is a 1977 graduate of DHS and owns Veasey Family Health and Urgent Care in Dickinson. Dr. Schulze, a 1974 graduate, owns Equine Veterinary Associates in Conroe and trains future veterinarians by allowing young people to volunteer at his practice. Dr. Lussier graduated in 1970 and is recognized among the leading Blake scholars in the world. He most recently accepted a position as Chair of the Department of English at Arizona State University, where he has taught for the last 20 years. Jim Butler, a 1960 graduate of DHS, practiced law in Dickinson for more than 25 years. His focus was always on service above self and that was reflected in his involvement in many community service projects that benefitted youth. His wife, Linda Butler, will accept this honor in his memory.

The Dickinson High School Athletic Hall of Honor recipients are Justin Wilson, Derek Thompson and Lisa Jackson Manis.

Justin Wilson, Class of 2004, is being recognized for his contributions to basketball at DHS, Texas Southern University and Houston Baptist University. He came back to Dickinson ISD in 2011 and currently serves as physical education teacher at Barber Middle School and freshman boys' basketball coach at DHS. Class of 1993 graduate Derek Thompson excelled in baseball, including being the first DHS player selected for the annual North vs. South Baseball Classic. He is employed by Phillips 66. Lisa Jackson Manis, a 1990 graduate, will be recognized for her soccer skills at DHS as well as Sam Houston State University, where she was named the 1990 Conference Leading Scorer. Manis has taught at DHS for 17 years, currently serving as an academic coach and coaching volleyball and soccer.

All of the recipients will be recognized before the start of the DHS varsity football game on Friday, Oct. 24 in Sam Vitanza Stadium. The annual banquet is planned the following evening, with a social hour at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and awards at 6:30 p.m. Individual tickets can be purchased before Oct. 17 for $30 online at www.dickinsonisdalumni.com, at Mackey Mechanical Services or Dennis Cooke State Farm Insurance.

Special Programs Department to host Abilities Conference and Resource Fair October 18

The Dickinson ISD Special Programs Department will be hosting the annual Abilities Conference and Resources Fair from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, October 18 at Dickinson High School. The theme of the fair is "Embracing All Abilities - Imagine the Possibilities" and it is free and open to the public.

In addition to a keynote presentation by Johnathon Vermaelen, breakout sessions will be given by area experts and educators addressing social skills, behavior, education, sensory needs, transition plus many others. Several vendors will also be on hand to share valuable information and resources. Interpreter services are available upon request.

For more information on the conference and registration, contact Jeanna TenBrink at dickinsonconference@gmail.com or call 832-340-3714. Online registration is available at https://dickinsonisdconference.eventbrite.com.

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