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RHS sports underway
The drop in temperature has many students at RHS getting ready
for the school’s fall sports lineup. Athletes at RHS who want to
represent their alma mater this autumn may participate in
football, volleyball, golf or cheerleading.
Volleyball …
Nikki Keltz has moved from Greenfield to Ripley to accept the
school’s volleyball coaching position. She is taking the place
of long-time coach Lisa Massongill, who retired from coaching
last year. Keltz is ready to lead the young team comprised of
mostly freshmen and sophomores to a great season this year.
Members of the RHS volleyball team include Dana Beard, Cassidy
Brummett, Brittany Burnett, London Estis, Danielle Gilbert,
Charli Henry, Tamika Reed, Ephiphany Rice, Sheridan Sinclair,
Tabitha Starnes, Chelsea Tapp, Whitley Williams, and Carmetria
Williams.
Golf...
Members of the RHS golf team will be led again this year by
Coach Dolan Craig. Many of the players are returning golfers who
are ready to improve last year’s scores with hard work. RHS golf
team members are Houston Davis, Greg Hankins, Kyle Hendren,
Crockett Johnson, Sam Sigman, Paul Spoon, and Matt Ziemianin.
Cheerleading …
The school’s football cheerleaders are led by coaches Stephanie
Bolton and Courtney Flood. They have already begun to raise the
spirits of the Tigers, the Friday night crowd and many
youngsters with a cheerleading camp held this summer.
Members of the 2006 RHS Cheerleading are Devin Blankenship,
Hailee Brown, Catherine Carpenter, Ginna Cherry, Megan Crain,
Katie Curtis, Emilee Dennison, Hailee Edwards, Paige Emerson,
Andrea Ennis, Tarmeisha Fisher, Hope Francis, Robin Greaves,
Caitlyn Harrison, Shelby Hendren, Skye Hickey, Karly Hines,
Brandy Latham, Courtney Leach, Brooke Mays, Anna Mills, Mallory
Pipkin, Kirby Pittman, Lauren Rushing, Rachael Sandavol, Alisha
Smith, Lesleigh Smith, Tatum Carmack, Mallory Gaines, Robbi Taylor, and Adrian
Wilson.
Good season opener for RHS team and new
coach
New Ripley High School football Coach Marty Wheeler and his
team have come together quickly to get the 2006 season off to a
great start.
The Tigers pounced all over Manassas in the season opener,
34-0, as Chris Graves had three touchdowns and DeAndre Dickerson
had three interceptions.
After that impressive opener, Ripley played one of the top
teams in the state and came away with a tough loss, 27-20, at
Dyersburg. Appollo Muex made two key field goals and Andrew
Johnson had several long runs to help Ripley in the battle of
top teams in Region 7-3A.
The Tigers have three non-region games upcoming before
stepping back into region play against Crockett County on Sept.
29.
Students can earn dual credit
Many Lauderdale County high school students are
earning a head start on their college credits in new program
offered at Halls and Ripley high schools in conjunction with the
University of Tennessee at Martin-Ripley Center.
“I am pleased that we have some 80-plus students
in our school system who will take advantage of the new dual
credit program through UT Martin at both high schools,” said
Superintendent Phillip Jackson. “These students will be in
classes offered at Ripley and Halls High schools. Students may
also take advantage of night classes offered at the UTM
location. This is a major step forward for our system and our
county."
"Dual credit courses are such a golden
opportunity for our academically advanced students as well as
for their parents,” said English teacher Gara Strong, who
instructs the dual credit English class at Halls High School.
“It's a unique transition in which the students can become
acclimated to the depth and degree of study that college courses
require before they actually set foot on campus.”
The program is also an opportunity for families
to save money on tuition expenses for their college-bound
children with the help of Tennessee Lottery Scholarships.
Funds set aside from the Tennessee Lottery pay
$300 per course, leaving the students a balance of $192, plus
the purchase of books for the English program. UTM provides the
books used in the math program.
To qualify for the lottery money, students must
have an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Students
must earn a “B” or higher to qualify to use the Lottery
Scholarship for the next semester.
“We think it’s a great program and are happy
that our students are able to participate,” said RHS Guidance
Counselor Linda Jennings. “We’re glad to offer this opportunity
for our students. A student who starts during the junior year
doing dual credit can earn 12 hours of college credit by
graduation.”
"Dual credit courses this year are $492 as
compared to $598 on campus as a college student, so it’s a
savings even if you pay out of pocket,” said Mary Jo Crihfield.
“The lottery (scholarships) have made it possible for students
to take advantage of it.”
Students may still take advantage of
participating in the advanced classes without earning dual
credits.
RHS Band to present
“Grease”
“Grease” is still the word for members of the Ripley High School
Tiger Marching Band as they entertain their audiences this year
with tunes from the classic movie.
Songs including “Greased Lightning,” “Summer Nights,” “Beauty
School Drop Out,” “Born to Hand Jive,” and “We Go Together” will
be featured in a program that will take the crowd back to the
1950s.
“It’s fun and the kids like it,” said RHS Band Director Steven
Womack. “When I was trying to find a show, I heard the music and
let the kids listen to it. They were all really excited about
it.”
Womack said that while the band has finalized much of its
performance, it is still in the process of adding key elements
to the show.
“We’ll add stuff every week to keep the crowd on their toes
(and) on the edge of their seats,” said Womack. “We encourage
the students to have a good time and enjoy the show, but to
still perform at a high level.”
The RHS Tiger Marching Band is made up of 58 band and color
guard members who will not only perform “Grease” in competitions
throughout West Tennessee, but bring the contest they host to a
new level this year, as well.
“Our marching band competition will be a United States School
Band Association Super Regional Site this year,” said Womack,
who said that the USSBA is expanding into West Tennessee. “We
were invited to participate because of the tradition of our
program and because of our location. Bands that participate in
our competition can qualify for the national championship. It’s
something new here and we’re excited about it.”
Womack said that the school has teamed up with the high school
in Milan for the new level of competition by patterning their
events in the same format and holding an additional awards
ceremony at the Ripley contest for bands who participated in
both the Milan and Ripley shows.
Another new aspect to the band program this year is the
introduction of a new middle school band director. Jimmy Horn of
Brownsville has joined the Lauderdale Middle School staff after
teaching for the past seven years in Lexington.
In addition to its upcoming fundraisers, the band also plans to
perform jazz music at many of the home basketball games and look
into the possibility of a joint trip to Disney World with the
RHS Choir, pending the approval of the school board.
RHS Rifle Team ranks 10th in nation
The Ripley High School JROTC Air Rifle Team recently placed 10th
in the 2006 National Junior Olympic Three Position Air Rifle
Championship, held at Western Kentucky University in Bowling
Green, Ky. The event took place July 6 through 8 in the
Auxiliary Gym of Diddle Arena at the university. This is the
fourth year in a row that the RHS team has been selected to
represent the state of Tennessee in this competition. In the
Scholastic Team Championship, Ripley took 10th place, with
Matthew Berkley shooting a 1, 040, Tramarqus Brown shooting
1.033, Jordan McCalvin shooting 1,010 and Ashley Rorie shooting
990. Ripley’s alternate shooter was Tiffany Wells.
JROTC Rifle Team takes fourth place nationally
The Ripley High School JROTC Rifle Team recently took fourth
place nationally at the Junior Air Rifle Tournament, held at
Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., June 27
through 29. The annual event is sponsored by the National Guard
Bureau to provide air rifle shooters with an opportunity to test
their marksmanship with other shooters throughout the nation.
This is the fifth year that the Ripley team was identified as
one of the top 10 teams in the state and invited to the national
competition.
In the team competition, Ripley took fourth place with a score
of 4,129, only 52 points less than the winning team and just 13
points from third place. Matthew Berkley shot for Ripley with a
score of 1,076, with Clisty Buie earning 1,060, Tramarqus Brown
receiving 1,021, and Jordan McCalvin scoring 972. Alternate
Ashley Rorie also shot, earning a score of 966.
In the individual competition, Berkley was once again a shining
star. Cadet Berkley took third place in the standing position,
first place in the kneeling position and second place overall.
On the second day of shooting, he shot a 550, which is a new
tournament record for Ripley.
Another RHS cadet to shine at the competition was Cadet Clisty
Buie, who was awarded the Junior Distinguished Badge at the
conclusion of the championship.
To earn the badge, shooters must earn 30 credit points in
designated competitions, with 10 of those points earned in
national competitions. The Junior Distinguished Badge is a
gold-finished badge modeled after traditional CMP Distinguished
Badges. Buie is the sixth person from Tennessee and the third
shooter from RHS to win this national honor.
RHS Step Team brings home trophy
The Ripley
High School Step Team recently took second place at the 11th
annual Sisterhood Showcase, competing against teams from across
West Tennessee and Mississippi. The event took place at the Cook
Convention Center in Memphis on June 4.
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