Megan Navarro
DRIPPING SPRINGS — In front of a packed room of eager community members, the Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees selected the highly-anticipated name of the district’s second high school Monday, May 18.
The second comprehensive high school will open its doors in the fall of 2028 to serve 2,500 students in ninth through 12th grades in the eastern portion of the district, located off Darden Hill Road east of Cypress Springs Elementary School.
Since March, the district’s High School #2 Naming & Branding Committee — made up of 64 members, including staff and secondary students — has been tasked with making recommendations to the board on various components of the school’s branding. The first decision was determining the school's name, which was on Monday’s night agenda.
The committee did have to follow some guidelines when selecting recommendations, explained executive director of communications Jennifer Edwards. These included:
• District facilities may be named for local residential areas, local geographic features or local, state or national landmarks.
• District facilities shall not be named for persons, living or deceased.
• The committee shall recommend three names to the board for each facility — however, that number expanded over time.
Name recommendations that the committee provided to the board were Driftwood High School, Driftwood Springs High School, Bear Creek High School, Sycamore Springs High School and Cypress Springs High School — the first two were the top contenders.
A survey, which was open from mid-February to early March, was also brought along the committee’s responsibilities to garner feedback from those who would have the most impact from the decision: the community.
Those voices and ideas were also heard during public comments, of which, the importance of identity was highly emphasized.
Parent Sarah Matz shared her strong support for naming the campus Driftwood High School, noting that it’s important that there should be an opportunity for those students to have their own identity separate from Dripping Springs High School, while still being able to have shared values, traditions and commitment to excellence.
“Our kids will still grow up together, will compete together, perform together and graduate together as part of Dripping Springs ISD. I think one community, two traditions, shared values,” she said. “I hope that we can fully embrace this opportunity to build a second great high school that honors both individuality and unity for generations to come.”
Another parent, Shellie Deringer, who also sits on the committee, requested that the board honor the deep history of the district and communities within its boundaries by choosing Driftwood High School. She explained that there have been conversations about DSISD’s 150-year anniversary, however, the board should look “beyond the recent elementary school naming pattern” — alluding to all of the campuses having “springs” in the name — and recognize actual historic communities that built the district.
“Driftwood School was established behind the Methodist Church in 1905. Mount Gainer School opened in 1906. Hamilton's Pool School dates back to 1886. Henley and Pedernales Falls also had early schools serving local communities in the 1880s. Those names represent real places, real history and real communities that helped form this district long before the recent growth era,” Deringer emphasized. “Students have repeatedly said that they want their high school to have a true identity tied to a recognizable place. A high school name follows students to competitions, college applications, resumes and alumni connections for the rest of their lives. A high school deserves more weight and consideration than simply extending a naming pattern created less than 20 years ago for elementary schools during rapid expansion.”
Others, like parent Kat Williams, shared that keeping the tradition of having “springs” in the campus names should continue, noting her support for Emerald Springs and Cypress Springs.
“Traditions give a sense of identity and cohesion. Traditions provide comfort, familiarity and continuity, emotional anchors. Traditions show what we hold dear and our value reinforcers. Traditions are a celebration of our heritage, allowing us to celebrate our roots and unify with those in our town,” Williams said. “Please do not take these traditions from our children and from our community. Please uphold our traditions and save our springs.”
During the board’s discussion, trustee Shanda DeLeon explained that it’s not in policy that the schools must have “springs” in the name, however, every DSISD Board of Trustees has done so. She added that there have been some conversations surrounding Driftwood Springs not existing as a spring, but that could possibly later be brought forward to the Texas Water Development Board, since there are hundreds of unnamed springs in the Texas Hill Country.
Trustee Kim Cousins said that she loves living in a community where people feel like these decisions matter, as there are other districts where a second high school is being built, but nobody shows up to the meetings or provides input: “You stood here tonight behind the microphone and taking time out of your busy, busy evenings at home, where you could be spending time with your families and this shows to me that this is important.”
She continued that she was torn between the top contenders — Driftwood Springs High School and Driftwood High School — but what she has really looked at is the input from the students, who are going to attend the school, build pride and start traditions.
“I never really kind of imagined this town with a high school or a building or any elementary, middle or high school without springs attached to it, but at one point, I have to listen to what the majority of the people are saying and that's what I'm listening to. I value your time, I value your care,” Cousins said. “I love that you care about where you live and how things are named and how they're going to proceed. I'm following my heart. I'm following the work of the committee. I'm following how I feel. I'm following how I have heard what people have said and to me, it's just been crystal clear and loud what they want and I just want that on the record.”
Later in the meeting, trustee Rob McClelland emphasized his support for Driftwood Springs High School because it “strikes the right balance” by honoring the history and heritage of a broader community that helped build the district over 150 years, but it also gives students the opportunity to create their own traditions.
Ultimately, the campus will be known as Driftwood Springs High School, following a 6-1 vote by the board of trustees. Cousins was the dissenting vote.
The board will continue its discussions on the mascot, colors and overall branding in June.
To listen to the full meeting, visit www.dsisdtx.us/page/board-meeting-livestream.
