Dirty Drumline seeks to increase school spirit

Watch: The origins of the Dirty Drumline

Matt Smith, Staff Reporter • September 12, 2014

This year’s football games now feature more than one drum line at Friday’s game as the class of 2015 tries to revive a tradition from the school’s first years.

“I wanted to bring spirit back to the student section, so I thought, let’s use trash cans,” senior Greg Watson said. “I asked a couple of friends and they all thought it was a good idea and grew from there.”

Calling themselves the Dirty Drumline, they are adorned with matching white sweatshirts and black and red bandanas. They debuted at the season opening game against Mansfield Legacy.

“I thought the Dirty Drumline helped the school spirit a lot,” junior Shane Gentry said. “We got into that game a whole lot more.”

Although the alternative drum line may have helped the fans get more spirited, other student groups aren’t so sure about the need for the Dirty Drumline.

“They were trying to do what we do, like it was so easy,” senior band member Jessica Goodrich said. “It just seemed like they were duplicating what we were doing when we already have a perfectly good [drumline].”

With the majority of the season still in front of the team, the goal is that everyone is able to rally behind the football team this fall in their own way.

“If we work together to raise school spirit, it can be good,” Goodrich said.

Loading ...

About the Contributors

Matt Smith, Business Manager

To say it in the nicest of ways, Matt Smith is a very interesting member of our newspaper staff. We don’t necessarily want him here but he would not stop nagging all of us this year to allow him to take part. He is an annoying, short, ginger with the lamest jokes. His nickname (given to himself) is Witty Smitty and if we don’t call him that, he gets upset and says he is going to put you on his “hit list”. After you get on that prestigious list, you become his object of obsession, and he usually stalks you for a week, camping out in your backyard, constantly looking through his binoculars through your window. Creepy, right? Don’t worry though because he is all talk. Sometimes, when he isn’t telling dumb jokes, he tells stories that are so outrageous and ridiculous that you can’t even imagine why he would ever think that we believe them. He claims to have fought Floyd Mayweather in an underground boxing tournament, where he broke his undefeated streak three years ago. He also tells us that he is a longtime pen pal with Justin Bieber, who allegedly copied Witty’s style back in ‘06. Matt insisted on us including that he won the Class Clown Award back in 1st grade and that he intends on breaking the Guinness World Record for the most days spent continually humming Lady Gaga songs from daybreak to sun down. (Is that even a thing?) We are all praying that he will get a hint this year that we just really can’t stand him, and then maybe he will leave. Until then, pray for us.

Kaylin King, Photographer/Videographer

Kaylin King is a senior who has her heart stuck in California. Being born and raised in San Diego her life there would come to an end after 15 years when she moved to Lucas her sophomore year. Kaylin loves to play all sports, anything active she will be involved in. She currently plays lacrosse for Allen High School’s club team. Kaylin also played soccer for 10 years, field hockey for one year, and water polo for one year. When not on the lacrosse field, Kaylin is at Title Boxing with her trainer for cross training. Kaylin is also the founder and president of the school’s newly formed Environmental Club. In the summer of 2014 Kaylin travelled to one of the poorest counties in the U.S. to help run a day camp for the local kids. After coming home from the trip, Kaylin became an advocate for poverty in the U.S. Kaylin really enjoys scary movies, her favorite one being Sinister. Along with movies she loves music, some of her favorite bands are The Black Keys, Alt-J, Beach Boys, and Grouplove. Kaylin is one of the many photographers and videographers for The Red Ledger and can’t wait to start shooting!