The Dryden Red and Black

Dryden High School will celebrate Homecoming with a full weekend of activities on Friday, September 19, and Saturday, September 20. This year’s theme is “Northern Lights.”

The Cardinals’ Homecoming football game will take place Friday evening, with the announcement of the 2025 Homecoming King and Queen at the game. The annual Homecoming Dance will follow on Saturday.

We are thrilled to share that Dryden High School has been entered into the Friday Night 5G Lights promotion! This national initiative from T-Mobile celebrates the spirit of small-town high school football while bringing state-of-the-art technology upgrades to deserving schools across the country.

What does this mean for Dryden High School?

• We are now in the running for a chance to win the ultimate grand prize package, which includes:

• $1,000,000 to be used towards a game-changing Stremler Field upgrade

• A consultation with a stadium experience expert

• A weight room upgrade by GronkFitness.com

• An unforgettable tailgate party unveiling

• And an all-expense-paid trip for school representatives to the SEC Championship game

• As a participant, our school is also eligible for additional cash prizes and grants throughout the competition.

How can you help?

• Show your #proudcardinal spirit! Community involvement is a key part of this contest. Help us by spreading the word on social media!

• Stay tuned for voting details and upcoming events where your participation can help us win.

What can you do today?

• Like and share posts on our @DrydenCardinals Instagram account.

• Include @TMobile @drydencardinals #FN5GL #Sweepstakes in your Dryden-related Instagram posts. Posts earn us bonus entries!

This is a unique opportunity to showcase our Cardinal Pride and bring lasting benefits to our students and community. We look forward to your enthusiastic support as we compete for this incredible honor! Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our students and our school.

Traditional school supplies have been purchased by the district. We recommend that all Dryden Elementary School students have a backpack, headphones, a reusable water bottle, and a lunch bag. Please contact the main office if you need help with any of those items.

If you would like to support any of our classrooms, please consider these Amazon Wishlists. Thank you for your generosity!

by Kaeleigh Gourieux

St. Clair County Community College Head Basketball Coach Richard Field and his associate visited Dryden High School last Thursday. They came to talk about St. Clair County Community College and why we should attend their school. They are a community-based college in a suburban area. Richard wanted to connect with us as students and make points that would correlate with our interests. He would start by asking a question and then showing how St. Clair County Community College has what we want.

Richard made a point about how their college is affordable; no high school senior wants to spend so much money on college when half of them have no idea what to do. But SC4 is affordable, and they have housing on campus, which would help students who want to attend but live far away. Richard is also the head coach at SC4 and made points to all the athletes about how well their teams are doing. Something that surprised me was that they even have a bowling team! I feel like bowling isn't always popular, so finding out they have a bowling team was really interesting, especially for how competitive Richard was with any sport mentioned.

Richard also went into detail about the majors they have there, and how they even have programs for those who have no idea what they are doing, myself included. SC4 has many majors offered there and has many resources if you are struggling with your classes. His assistant even talked about how he is a teacher for nursing, which was a surprise for many of us. He encouraged us, if we were thinking about doing nursing, to go for it because he had been one for many years.

One thing that stood out to me was the mood the two speakers brought into the room; they brought a lot of laughter out of me for the small jokes and sarcastic comments. They were very friendly, and I even ended up applying. They were very enthusiastic about their college and wanted the best for us. Even though I might not go to SC4, I now have a better view of it and will encourage those who want to attend to do it.

Stay updated on our progress with funds from the bond passed in May 2023 by using this checklist! We appreciate your continued support of our students, our schools, and our community.

Dryden Athletic Booster Meetings

September 17

October 15

November 19

December 17

by Claire Wright

What’s a math teacher’s favorite place in New York?

Times Square

Attention #proudcardinal Class of 2026 Parents:
If you're looking for a great way to honor your 2026 graduate, consider purchasing a Recognition Ad in this year's yearbook. A 1/4 page ad costs $80. There are several formats from which to choose. Here are some examples from last year's yearbook. A limited number of ads are available and are sold on a "first come - first served" basis. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Mrs. Palmerini at bpalmerini@drydenschools.org.

by Claire Wright

Last week's riddle:

I have keys but no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter, but you can’t go outside.

What am I?

A keyboard.

Congratulations, Mr. Shute! You were the first with the correct answer!

This week's riddle:

What has hands but can’t clap?

Submit your answer below for a shoutout next week!

by Cara Prusakiewicz

Dryden High School’s cross country teams competed in their second meet of the season at the Hatchet Invite in Bad Axe on September 6th, putting together a strong showing with several personal records and top finishes.

In the Girls Varsity race, junior Cara Prusakiewicz led the way with a 4th-place finish (20:31.31), followed by Claire Wright in 12th (21:31.96). Ella Gustner finished 16th (22:13.54), and Lilyana Lasher rounded out the team effort with a 52nd-place finish (25:21.59).

On the Boys Varsity side, the team placed 7th overall. Logan Romain paced the boys with a 6th-place finish (17:42.84), while Levi Fitchett crossed the line in 13th (18:16.90). Tyler Roberts (47th, 20:59.54) and Brenden Peter (50th, 21:04.44) packed in solid mid-race performances. Dylan Lasher (72nd, 22:31.91) and Josiah Matson (78th, 22:51.25) worked together in the middle of the field, and Donald Willson completed the varsity effort with a 103rd-place finish (39:33.53).

Overall, it was a strong day for Dryden, with several runners setting season and all-time personal bests as the team continues to build momentum for the rest of the season.

Dryden's first game resulted in the win against North Huron, taking the win with 40 points. On offense, Gianni Coscione led the way, completing 17 of 29 passes for 349 yards and 4 touchdowns while also rushing 14 times for 114 yards. Santiago Perales was explosive with 9 receptions for 207 yards and 3 touchdowns. Brady Schneider added 3 receptions for 73 yards and carried the ball 7 times for 68 yards and a touchdown. Rowan Handley contributed 4 receptions for 68 yards, and Luke Kage hauled in 1 catch for 1 yard. On defense, Schneider recorded 11 tackles and an interception, Coscione added 6 tackles, Luke Taylor made 5, Handley tallied 3 and recovered a fumble, Tyler Roberts had 3 tackles and forced a fumble, Kage added 3, Callum Brown contributed 5, and Logan Korth finished with 2.

Then on Friday, Dryden fell to Deckerville with a final score of 62–6. On offense, Gianni Coscione went 16 of 27 passing for 165 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, while also rushing 7 times for 34 yards. Santiago Perales led the receiving game with 8 catches for 116 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown, and added 2 rushes for 13 yards. Brady Schneider contributed 7 receptions for 41 yards and a rush for 3 yards, Rowan Handley added a reception for 8 yards, and Luke Kage rushed twice for 3 yards. On defense, Coscione recorded 9 tackles, Schneider and Handley each had 8, Callum Brown made 7, Kage added 4, Cooper Vanthrof had 3, and Jeffery Taylor and Luke Taylor each tallied 1 tackle.

by Claire Wright

On September 2, the Dryden Varsity and Junior Varsity Volleyball teams both played against Parkway Christian. For Varsity, they have scores of: 16-25 L, 7-25 L, 11-25 L. They put up a great fight, for serves Claire Wright had 4 serves and 1 ace, Mallory Barker had 5 serves, Karley Phillips had 7 serves and 1 ace, Mckinley Gammon had 3 serves and also 1 ace, Kayla Lapka 7 serves and 1 ace, and finally Caila Fitchett had 5, and 1 ace. Claire Wright had 1 dig, but Karley Phillips and Mckinley Gammon both had 2, Caila Fitchett with 3, and 7 digs for Mallory Barker. Mallory Baker with 3 kills, Mckinley Gammon with 2, and Karley Phillips with 1 kill. Both Kayla Lapka and Caila Fitchett had 3 assists. Great work for the Varsity team.

For Junior Varsity, the scores were 7-25, 15-25, 11-25, all posts. Molly Wilkey with 3 aces, 3 assists, and 3 digs. Luxy Abraham had 1 dig, along with Bella Blatt and Ophelia Golden, each with 1 dig. Aubrey Joseph and Angelina Urick had 1 attack. Again Aubrey Joseph and Angelina Urick had 1 assist. Good work for both teams.

On September 3, the Dryden Varsity Girls Volleyball team played Cros-Lex, Flint Carman Ainsworth, and Marlette. The Cros-Lex game ended with a sad loss. 18-25 and 7-25, but the stats speak for themselves. The standout for this game was Mallory Barker. Karley Phillips 10 serves and 5 digs. Hailey Messerschmidt had both 1 dig and 1 kill. Molly Wilkey had 2 serves and 1 assist. Now Mckinley Gammon and Mallory Barker worked hard for these numbers - Mckinley Gammon had 1 serve, 1 dig, 2 kills, and 1 block. Mallory Barker has 5 serves and 1 ace, 2 digs, 2 kills, and 1 block. Caila Fitchett had 3 serves and 4 assists. Finally, for Claire Wright, she had only 1 serve.

The game against Flint Carman Ainsworth had a fight that they unfortunately lost, 16-25 and 12-25. The standouts for this game are Mckinley Gammon and Karley Phillips.Good work, girls. Karley Phillips had 4 serves, 2 digs, and 1 kill - Kayla Lapka had 2 serves, 1 dig, and 4 assists. Molly Wilkey had 1 serve and 1 dig - Mckinley Gammon had 4 serves and 4 aces, 2 digs, and 2 kills. Mallory Barker has 4 serves, 3 digs, and 2 kills. Caila Fitchett had 3 serves, and Claire Wright had 4 serves and 1 ace.

For their last game of the night against Marlette, the girls were getting a little tired, it ended in a loss 9-25 and 3-25. And standout for this game is Caila Fitchett. Caila Fitchett has 4 serves and 6 assists. Mallory Barker has 1 assist, Molly Wilkey has 3 serves, Kayla Lakpa has 2 serves, Karley Phillips has 2 serves and 2 digs, and Claire Wright has 1 dig. Good job, next week will be better.

On September 4, the Junior Varsity Girls Volleyball team played against Marlette and Cros-Lex in one night. They put in a lot of good work at the game, good job. The scores from Dryden Vs. Marlette are: 10-25 lost and 16-25 lost, and from Cros-Lex is: 11-25 lost and 7-25 lost. In total from both games, Karley Phillips had 1 ace, and Molly Wilkey also had 1 ace. From assists, Karley Phillips with 2, Elaina Yatros with 1, Luxy Abraham with 1, and Molly Wilkey with 2. Karley Phillips had 5 digs, Molly Wilkey had 3, both Elaina Yatros and Hailey Messerschmidt got 2 digs, and Molly Miller along with Luxy Abraham both had 1 dig. Bella Blatt had 4 attacks, and Molly Wilkey and Karley Phillips has 2 attacks. Great job.

• 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – 7th/8th Girls Volleyball at Peck (Bus departs at 4:20 pm)
• 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM – School Board Meeting (Library)

• 7:15 AM - 7:25 AM – Weekly Encouragement (Library)
• 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM – Color Me Green (Room 153)
• 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM – Creative Writing Club (Room 226)
• 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – JV/Varsity Volleyball vs St. Thomas More

• All Day: Wear it Wednesday (HS) - 9/11 Remembrance Red, White and Blue Day
• 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM – The Theater Kids Club (Band Room)
• 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – 7th/8th Girls Volleyball vs Memphis
• 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM – JH Volleyball Concessions (Gym Hallway)
• 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM – Weight Room Training/Workouts (Weight Room)

• 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM – JV/Varsity Volleyball at Mayville (Bus departs at 4:45 pm)
• 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM – Weight Room Training/Workouts (Weight Room)

• 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM – ThinkFast Interactive – Teen Driver Safety Education (MPR)
• 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Varsity Football at Mayville (Bus departs at 5:15 pm)

• 7:40 AM – 12:00 PM – JH Cross Country at Holly

• 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM – Cross Country at Holly

September 8

October 13

November 10

December 8

January 12

All meetings begin at 7:00 p.m., will be held in the Dryden High School Library, and are open to the public.

Check out the 2025-2026 Dryden Community Schools District Calendar here!

Faculty Advisors:

Ms. Sheryl Czerwinski & Mrs. Breanne Palmerini

Editors:

Caila Fitchett & Cara Prusakiewicz

Reporters:

Willow DuBuis, Logan Romain & Claire Wright

Email: Cardinal@drydenschools.org
Website: https://www.drydenschools.org/
Location: Dryden High School, Rochester Road, Dryden, MI, USA
Phone: (810) 796-2266
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drydencommunityschools

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