Senior Superfans smile full of excitement as the first FNL of the school year begins. The theme “Blue-out” coincides with the varsity team’s senior night. The stands are packed full of upperclassmen trying to enjoy their last moments as high school students.

Every morning the students of DGS are reminded to live a life through the lens of the “Mustang Way.” While the voice that comes over the PA system may change each week, the memo remains the same, “Respectful, responsible and engaged; it’s the Mustang Way.”

This motto is meant to guide the lives and learning of all students at DGS; nevertheless, some guidelines go unheard among the many rules in the student handbook. Below lies a guide for the top-ten tips, tricks and unwritten rules for underclassmen in order to reap the benefits of the Mustang community.

#10: AXE body spray.

Just lay off of it – please. Even if it is used in the P.E. locker rooms, that stuff lingers like crazy. It is now high school and everyone here is closer to being an adult than a child, so please leave that stuff in junior high and get something that smells a bit nicer.

#9: Remember that DGS is a public space for everybody.

Try not to be loud and obnoxious in the commons. This space is shared by everyone. And therefore it is expected of everyone to just be good human beings.

Be responsible for your actions while being respectful to the space and the people around you.

#8: Try not to act entitled.

Through mistakes and years of friendships, people eventually will learn that they do not know as much as they think they do. Being humble is a virtue. With that being said, act your age.

You only have so many years as a kid so try not to grow up too fast. Freshmen acting like seniors is borderline heartbreaking.

#7: Befriend upperclassmen.

It is as simple as that. When someone has more connections to people throughout the school, they will get so many more opportunities. Take every possible chance you get to be more engaged.

This is the best way to have much more fun.

#6: Charge your Chromebook.

This seems trivial as every teacher has drilled the idea into students’ heads since elementary school, but a lot of students are still caught lacking. Not only is it annoying when the beginning of class is filled with inquiries of Chromebook chargers, but it also wastes time. No teacher will ever trust or respect a student if they consistently disregard such a simple task.

#5: Once you pick your lunch table, it is assigned. Stay there.

In the beginning of the year, each friend group finds a lunch table that fits their needs whether it be the size of their group or their preferred location. Picking your table is like picking your assigned seat in class on the first day. Please try to respect other peoples’ space.

When you respect everyone else, the lunchroom is no longer the setting of a war zone. Eating and conversing with your friends as your midday break should be a conflict-free experience. An experience that begins out of respect for others.

#4: Show up for school spirit and events.

Try as much as you can to be involved in school spirit and activities without going overboard. Every student should be able to enjoy their experience and be engaged without being beastly overwhelmed. When students are engaged in the school community, everybody has more fun.

#3: Underclassmen, particularly freshmen, sometimes “forget” to shower.

Smelling good is not only a compliment, it is a necessity. Practice hygiene. It is as easy as putting on deodorant.

No one wants to smell something rancid in the halls. If you are able to practice hygiene on yourself, you should also be able to practice respect and clean up after yourself in school.

#2: Learn how to walk in the halls.

This literally applies to all public spaces. Examples include school, sports games, restaurants, malls, etc. Walk on the right side and do not stop in the middle of the movement path.

Instead of stopping in the middle of the hall and creating a traffic jam by talking to your friends, just pull over so everyone else can get to where they are going. The hallways are small and taking up space that belongs to everybody is disrespectful. If you are going to exhibit PDA, take a moment to be respectful to the people around you.

People just want to go to school in peace.

#1: The student section at school sponsored sports games has a seating chart.

This is something that feels like it should be common sense but is obviously not. It seems underclassmen know this but either ignore or forget to respect those older than them. The first two-thirds of the student section should always be reserved for seniors.

Not only is it their last year of high school, they are the ones that bring the energy. The more seniors, the more fun for everyone.