Education

One day In 1968, Jan Knox hooked herself to a rope alongside her husband, Orion Knox, and descended into a dark hole in the ground on the Wuest family ranch in Comal County. A hand-cranked winch operated by the cave owners lowered her down 160 feet through a shaft just 22 inches wide, the rock strata passing close before her face. As her boots hit the slick bottom, the darkness dissipated in the warm glow of her carbide headlamp. In front of her stood cathedral-like pillars and arches of flowstone, colored crystal and delicate formations, and the faint echoing drip of water. It was the first time a human had witnessed the magnificent formation, and the couple was there to map it.

Cole Wilson had barely made it through high school. He was living at home and had no concrete plan to continue his education. “I was making what my mother called 'questionable decisions,’” Wilson said. “My brother called me up and said, 'Get up here to Austin, move in with me, and try your hand at college for a minute.’ It changed my life.”

It was homecoming and a game expected to be won by the Tigers. However, the Maroons started off as though they were capable of giving the Tigers a good game. Before the night was over it was back to a one-sided 49-7 win and reserves getting to play the second half.

DRIPPING SPRINGS — Nineteen Dripping Springs High School students were named to the Region 18 Choir following their performances in the opening round of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State Choir audition process on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Bowie High School in Austin. Among the 19 students, 17 advanced to the Pre-Area round of auditions, which will take place Saturday, Nov. 16 at Anderson High School in Austin. The Region 18 Choir will hold a performance at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center. The concert is free and open to the public. REGION 18 CHOIR Soprano 1 *Ava Azua, 4th Chair *Taylor Heenan, 5th Chair *Teresa Grant, 7th Chair *Madeline Johanningsmeier, 13th Chair Vita Tardel, 20th Chair Soprano 2 *Vanessa Owens, 11th Chair *Alaina Atkins, 13th Chair Alto 1 *Isabella Eleazar, 2nd Chair *Ainsley Ash, 6th Chair *Katie Terry, 17th Chair *Reese Starnes, 19th Chair Alto 2 *Megan Aldridge, 11th Chair Tenor 1 *Preston LeBas, 2nd Chair *Emiliano Arroyo Corona, 6th Chair Tenor 2 *Luke Voss, 2nd Chair *Cody Ritchey, 5th Chair Bass 1 *Grover Bendall, 6th Chair Ian Firkser, 19th Chair Bass 2 *Charles Schubert, 4th Chair (*Advancing to Pre-Area)

DRIPPING SPRINGS — The Dripping Springs Tigers 5-1 (2-0) football team is averaging more than 40 points per game and they topped that with a 49-7 Homecoming win on Friday, Oct. 4, in a 6A District 26 game over the Austin High School Maroons 3-3 (1-1). The Tigers got on the board first when quarterback Maddox Maher connected on a 30-yard pass play to Nick Tyndall. An interception by Jackson Mills, who at halftime was named the Homecoming king, resulted in a touchdown when Merrik Bloomgren caught Maher’s 25-yard pass in the end zone for a touchdown and a 14-0 first quarter lead. Jack Tyndall scored the first of two rushing touchdowns on a 33-yard run and Cooper Reid stepped into the end zone after catching Maher’s 30-yard pass to make it 28-7. Maher scored on a 2-yard run for a 35-7 lead, with just under two minutes remaining in the half, and left the game after a 37-yard run set up a 1-yard run for a touchdown by Jack Tyndall for 42-7 halftime lead. The Tigers scored early in the third quarter when quarterback Mateo Perez, who came in for Maher, threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Nick Tyndall in the back of the end zone. The Maroons missed its best scoring opportunity in the fourth quarter when Dripping Springs’ Gage De Los Santos picked off John Latham’s pass in the endzone. Austin’s lone score was early in the second quarter after the Tigers missed a field goal. The Maroons took possession of the ball and Bryson Batts ran 80 yards for a touchdown. “It’s a great Homecoming win. You worked hard for this and I’m proud of you,” head coach Galen Zimmerman told the team after the game, “Celebrate it, but don’t take it for granted. It’s hard to win a football game on Friday night in Texas.” Maher, who has passed for 1259 yards and 20 touchdowns, completed 11 of 20 passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns and had 72 yards rushing. Perez completed five of eight passes for 75 yards and one touchdown. Logan Keim was also worked in at quarterback for the Tigers and completed four of six passes for 41 yards. Reid led receivers with six receptions for 84 yards, followed by Nick Tyndall with five catches for 78 yards. Jack Tyndall, averaging more than 100 yards per game, led in rushing with 15 carries for 131 yards. Lawson Attaway had seven carries for 31 yards. With Lake Travis High School (Oct. 18) and Westlake High School (Nov. 8) games remaining and Del Valle High School in-between, Reid said the team is not looking ahead: “Being 2-0 in this district is huge and it’s a great start to our season, but our focus is watching film tomorrow morning, correcting the mistakes we made tonight and getting ready for Bowie [High School].” Dripping Springs will face the Bowie Bulldogs 5-1 (1-1) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11 at Burger Stadium in Austin.

Students from immigrant families appear to have lost out on state grant money for college because of a glitch with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, confirming fears from earlier this year. The revamped FAFSA prevented parents who did not have a Social Security number from adding their financial...

BUDA — Jeffrey Olaes, an eighth grader at McCormick Middle School, is now ranked number one in Korean martial arts forms in North American Sport Karate Association — the largest sanctioning association for open sport karate. Starting at age four, the now-14-year-old began taekwondo at the Hays Communities YMCA, where he also participated in other activities like basketball and swim lessons. According to his mom, Wella, Olaes has been a “Y[MCA] kid since he was a toddler.” These days, he has added karate to his repertoire. A black belt in taekwondo since 2021, Olaes competes in matches around the country, with hopes of competing internationally, as well. This summer, he captured first-place medals at multiple national competitions, including NASKA U.S. Open and U.S. Capitol Classic. Ranked first in Korean forms in North America, Olaes is also ranked fourth in Japanese forms and tied in second for point sparring, which is a competition where the players score points by striking or kicking their opponents. He hopes to one day make it to the Olympics. “Being able to compete on the mat and on the stage is a surreal feeling,” said Olaes. To become a black belt in taekwondo, Olaes said that he had to memorize all the basic forms, or sequences of moves, as well as learn sparring and self defense. He also had to write an essay on what martial arts meant to him. Contrary to popular belief, martial arts doesn’t just teach the individual how to spar or self defense, it also teaches discipline, respect and responsibility, Olaes described. It's also a great way to meet people and make friends, as well as better oneself. “You get to meet a lot of people and make a lot of connections, especially at the tournaments,” said Olaes. “[Martial arts] is going to help you physically and mentally.” On top of martial arts, Olaes also plays basketball and tennis, as well as keeping his A grades in school. Olaes is currently training for the World Martial Arts Games, which takes place in Dubai. For more information on the Greater Austin YMCA and its surrounding locations, including Hays Communities YMCA, visit www.austinymca.org .

Students sit listening attentively, fingers poised on keyboards and pens pressed against paper in apprehension to take detailed notes on what the speakers of the Texas Capitol Journalism Conference have to say as they delve into details about school funding and the system of recapture. Recapture, also known as Robin...

All thanks to the university's $70 million project.

The purpose of Students For Sustainability (SFS) and SERVE 1 Day events at St. Edward’s University is for students to gain the ability to not only volunteer and give back in a variety of ways, but to connect with those who share the same values. Senior Heather Pitre (left) and senior Christine Stewart share the importance of what SERVE 1 Day is, and how important it is to find connections within the community of SFS.

The Cedar Park Timberwolves raced out to a 14-0 lead then made it stick enroute to a clutch 35-25 District 8-5A-1 win over neighborhood rival Rouse Friday night (10/4) from Gupton Stadium in the VYPE Central Texas High School Football Game of the Week on 102.7 FM ESPN Austin radio.

The expiration of the Biden administration’s student loan initiatives, an on-ramp period and FreshStart, on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2, respectively, reintroduced regular consequences for borrowers who miss monthly loan payments. The on-ramp period was implemented to alleviate the effects of missed loan payments for student borrowers during a...

Liberal Arts & Science Academy - Austin hasn't had much luck against McCallum recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Liberal Arts & Science Academy - Austin Raptors will take on the McCallum Knights at 7:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.

Each week through the regular season, the Austin Sports Journal will poll readers to select the Austin Area High School Volleyball Player of the Week. Voting begins Thursday morning and ends Friday at noon. The winner will be announced first in our Saturday e-edition newspaper available exclusively to subscribers. Nominations...

PHOTO BY URSULA ROGERS Henry Martinez, left, was crowned the 2024 Hays High School Homecoming king and Brooke Garza was voted Homecoming queen. PHOTO BY URSULA ROGERS Pictured, Hawks quarterback Tacoma Ames (No. 4) looks for an opening to pass the ball. The Hawks will face the Weiss High School Wolves in Pflugerville on Friday, Oct.11.

Faculty from the Cockrell School of Engineering participated in winning projects at the Future of Semiconductors competition, which aimed to develop and advance the technology, according to a Sept. 25 press release. The competition, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, awarded $42.4 million to 23 projects for the program, four...

Dr. Mary Jane Hetrick, a long-time trustee of Dripping Springs ISD, has been elected first vice president of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) for the 2024-25 session. Hetrick was elected during TASB’s 2024 Delegate Assembly in San Antonio on Sept. 28. “I’m honored to be asked to...

Harmony Science Academy Cedar Park proudly announces that 49 students have been selected for publication in the prestigious Poetry Towers competition, an international contest hosted by YoungWriters for authors ages 7-11. The students’ poems will be featured in a global anthology, a remarkable achievement that highlights the creativity and literary talent of young writers at HSA-CP.

Twenty-nine Austin-area high school tennis teams begin the University Interscholastic League team tennis playoffs as early as Monday. Among them are Westwood, the Class 6A defending champion, and Wimberley, the Class 4A defending champion. Westwood will be looking for a three-peat and the Warriors’ fifth Class 6A state championship in...