It’s not like High School Musical: Top 10 things to look forward to at DGS

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Annie Metherd

Mr. McGinnis’s math one class is excited to welcome next year’s incoming freshmen.

Claire Valenti and Annie Metherd

What time is it? School time! Here’s 10 things you should be psyched to see at Downers Grove South.

#10: Pool
You’ve read that right: a pool, or better yet, the swim unit. A never before seen experience for all junior high students. Hop in, the water’s warm! Just kidding, it’s freezing, unless you get lucky and you’re swimming next to that one kid.

After 30 minutes of swim, you’ve got 10 minutes of free swim, time for whatever you’d wish. The diving boards and both the pools are open, so it’s basically a day pass to Cypress Cove for that 10 minutes.

#9: Triathlon
Grab a friend or two or yourself! and take on your own DGS triathlon, where everyone wins a prize, sort of like DYC sports third place wins a trophy too! You and your group of two or three will start by swimming two laps in the pool, biking seven laps around the track and finish with running a lap around the school’s campus. All participants get prize packs afterwards and if you chose not to be part of the triathlon, say hello to running 2.5 miles with no prize, but the joy of watching your classmates race around the school.

#8: Meeting People from Other Middle Schools
After growing up with the same people for 13 years in elementary and middle school, high school is your chance to meet new people who share similar interests. The DGS community is diverse, and going to school here will give you the opportunity to make new friends, learn more about yourself and find new clubs.

#7:More Clubs to Join
Speaking of new clubs, DGS offers just about every club that you can think of from Spikeball to Book Club. If you can’t find a club you’re interested in, you always have the chance to create a club of your own with the proper steps taken. We recommend joining the Newspaper Club.

#6: The Art Wing
If in middle school you felt like you didn’t have enough opportunities to express yourself artistically, DGS has an entire wing for you. With six different entry level art classes, artists of all types can find an outlet where they can create what they want to with people of like minds around them.

#5: Cafe
With your workload expanding–trust us, it will–along with a new lack of sleep, DGS has a perfect caffeinated fix for you. Whether you need the carbs from a muffin or the caffeine from a customized coffee or tea, the cafe in the learning commons has something waiting for you.

#4: Learning Commons
So you got sick of sitting in rows and being shushed by the lady in the desk? Oh we all did even here at DGS. Welcome to the learning commons, the greatest invention of all time.

It’s a study hall with bougie chairs and tables where you can pretend to be on task. Grab a snack at the cafe, maybe even a coffee, chat with friends or go get help from a teacher in the area.

#3: Student Fan Section
Whether the home team is running away with a victory or losing in the worst way possible, there’s never a dull moment in the student fan section. The DGS Superfans go to every home game with different themed outfits every time. Grab a pink cowboy hat or a hula skirt and come join the hype.

#2: Assemblies
Assemblies at DGS, it’s either we’ve got some crazy act coming in or its three students telling you to get hyped before homecoming, either way, the assemblies rock. They acknowledge all of our students regardless of what you’re involved in inside or outside of school. All the athletes and clubs and some of our talented students who win the talent show get to perform. Every year is different and you just have to be there to see it. No one ever really knows what’s about to go down.

#1: School Dances
Imagine a school day with no lights, everyone’s dressed up and Beyonce blaring through the speakers rather than morning announcements, but it’s not Monday morning, it’s Saturday night. Side effects may include never wanting to hear “Party In The USA” by Miley Cyrus ever again or a snag in your dress. Homecoming dances are a must, you will see people you’ve never seen before in every direction and then some you do in the next a lot like a family Christmas party, you just have to go!