THE BITTER END

By: Leslie Rewis

     As growing high school students, we tend to have a lot of homework—homework that we tend to put off by surfing the Internet. We tend to go to the infamous Myspace.com and Facebook.com, but have you ever thought about going closer to home? Try our own www.bdhs.org—it’s full of surprises. You can even see why our site is ranked one of the top high school sites in the Diocese of Dallas.

     Sure, it doesn’t have games or a bulletin board where you can put your latest surveys up, but it does have recent announcements that change every minute, the Falconer online so we can check up on BD news, the Red/Blue calendar for the year so we can check up on all our off days and help settle the known confusion of, “Is it a red or blue day?” clubs, sports, activities and much more. It’s a great place for information.

     Now, to add the icing on the cake, “a mixed group of Bishop Lynch students was asked to complete an informal survey of private schools in Dallas,” says webmaster Mr. Beattie. Bishop Dunne’s website was ranked first out of the five schools, including Jesuit, Ursuline, John Paul II High School, and Bishop Lynch, who participated in the survey. Why were we so successful?

     Mr. Beattie is “doing it [himself], not passing it to some service that doesn’t know what we want” and not only that, but he “works on it every day,” and “has been doing this for a long time.” How’s that for dedication?

     Mr. Beattie also says that we have “Dunne in the News.” It’s about what we Bishop Dunne students and our staff have done recently in the news.  “It has stuff from TV videos and Dallas Morning News tidbits.” Mr. Beattie also recommends that “everyone, including parents, students, and staff should take the time to search the site!”

     There’s also videos of the Bishop Dunne drum line performance, and podcasts and blog sites for students in classes where your teachers give you these types of assignments. You can now watch videos with flash on it, most of which, are “missing from other [high school] websites.”

     Impressed? You never would’ve known that our own website was so outstanding, and some of you guys may not have known about it at all. Now that you do know, why not give it a spin? Instead of procrastinating by going to Myspace.com, try going to bdhs.org.

Falcons Don’t Run Silly…They Fly!                                                          Falcon Track Team Going for Gold

By: Cydni Robertson

     On your marks…get set…KAAAAPOW! And the Falcon runners are off!  All of the sweat, tears, muscle cramps, and crazy dieting that have accumulated over the past two months is now coming into play for the Bishop Dunne track team. For the past seven track meets they have experienced the triumph of victory and the agony of defeat. But as district rapidly approaches, the stress and anxiety begin to induce emotions in the runners that are unlike any other.

     Due to Bishop Dunne’s construction on the track, our flying Falcons have been commuting from Bishop Dunne to Trinity Christian in Cedar Hill nearly every weekday since track season began to ensure that they receive an efficient practice that will not only get them in shape, but also help them set state records.

     Although they share a portion of Trinity’s track, the Falcons engage  in separate workouts and only interact when “practice meets” are arranged. Although the team is anxious for the Dunne track to be built, they are grateful to Trinity for their hospitality. According to Coach Hawthorne, the new Dunne track is expected to be completed by July 2008 and the Field House should be completed by the 2008 football season. This will be a real benefit to the track team.

     From 3:30-5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, our Falcons run, jump, throw, and encourage each other to do our best. This is no ordinary sports team; this is a family in which each member plays an essential role in achieving the desired goal…to win state!

     Hopeful track coach Mr. Isaac Bell is “still very optimistic about our chance at winning district.” He claims that “we will be sending many people to state this year.”

     Freshmen Mario Starghill (sprinter) and Tiffany Starghill (hurdler) feel as though “the track team has grown further in their [efforts] with the help of Coaches Bell, Evans, Gardner, Hawthorne, Johnson, and Wakefield.”

     For our seniors on the team, Zach Coleman (sprinter,) Michael Dean (sprinter,) Darrell Glasco (undeclared,) Gabrian King (discus/shot,) and Jerrett Williams (long/triple jump,) this could be their last chance to leave a track legacy within the Bishop Dunne community.

     Coleman believes that “…[the track team] is young and inexperienced, but there is a lot of talent and we should have a successful season as we gain more experience and maturity.”

    Now that they are down to the wire and have to start kicking it into high gear, the coaches “plan to finalize the actual track roster and prepare the athletes for their specific events that they will compete in district,” says Bell.

     Returning member sophomore Jasmine Webb (sprinter), is “very confident [and knows] that if we work we can bring home state and district titles.” As a returning member she feels as though “she is still learning and doing her best to contribute to the success of the team.”

     Falcons, let’s cheer our track team on as they fly through the lanes of victory!

The Bishop Dunne website. Photo taken by Leslie Rewis.

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Dunne.Com: About the Bishop Dunne Website

Myspace. The school is working on this problem by setting up a leadership camp. Last year we did a lock-in and some workshops, which we hope to do again. This time we will include the seventh grade as well.”

Senior Hannah Wangler is one of the brave, fighting her urge to be constantly on the net. “I gave up Myspace and Facebook for

     Fortunately, we Bishop Dunne students are in a Christian environment where there is a network of support for students who suffer from depression. Nevertheless, we are a very small school where rumors spread quickly. All I can say is, be careful if you choose to talk about someone because it could come back to you, and you can’t get out of the situation that you put yourself in by gossiping. You

Lent. I think it has made me become a better person because I don’t spend all day looking at other people’s lives,” she says.

     According to Endthehate.com, 77 percent of students are bullied mentally, verbally, or physically at least twice in high school. According to girlshealth.gov, one of the top reasons teens consider suicide is because they are in a state of depression, which is inflicted upon them by their peers.

Cyber Bullying

By: Kelli Grashel

never know how far off the edge you could push someone.

     If you feel too overwhelmed by the stress of school, peers, family, or bullying of any type, here are some places to turn:  PALS (Bishop Dunne group,) counselors like Mr. Root and Ms. Perales in Guidance, www.teenlineonline.org/ (teens helping other teens,) or you can always turn to a teacher or any adult; there’s nothing wrong with that.