As October 31 rolls around this year, many trick-or-treaters will be going door to door, hoping what they receive is a treat. The top ten costumes this year range from the presidential masks all the way to Honey Boo Boo and June.The common tradition of wearing costumes is said to have come from the ancient Celtic Festival of Samhain, where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Today it has evolved into an event where children participate, with activities like trick-or-treating and dressing up in costumes.Halloween costumes have improved dramatically from the basic white bed sheets and simple masks worn back when the holiday began. Costumes are much more high tech these days: some now have lights, sound effects and few are even inflatable.The morph-suits, a suit of spandex which covers the entire body which transforms the person wearing it is now just a silhouette of color (like a giant stocking) and is a popular costume among Dorman students. “I wore [a morph suit] last year, and it was awesome,” senior Garrett Dye said.As children, students attending Dorman dressed up in costumes like a bumble bee (junior Madi Crocker), Baby Bop from Barney (junior Brooke Harms), and a kitten (junior Chelsea Fowler) to celebrate the much-anticipated holiday.As Halloween gets closer, it’s becoming evident that the more humorous costumes are selling a lot more than the scarier ones, which goes to show how much the holiday has evolved in every way. Costumes are no longer used to ward off evil spirits from ruining the crops but to just dress up and have a fun time.

The high energy, the fans yelling at the top of their lungs, and players dying to get out on the field: these are some of the most memorable times in high school, the excitement of Friday night lights. However, one very important asset gets lost in all the fun: the cheerleaders. The 2012-2013 Dorman Varsity Cheerleaders practiced day after day for hours during the summer to learn the cheers and stunts to keep the fans hyped. Every Friday night, they are on the sidelines, exciting the fans and encouraging the players, but they do not stop there. Saturday Sept. 29 marked the first competition of the cheer season.“If you have never been to a cheerleading competition, you have never experienced true suspense,” freshman Kelsey Jarrett said. “There is never a dull moment when you’re there competing or watching.”Being a part of a competitive team takes a lot of cooperation, determination, and dedication. A team is made up of people who have one common interest and goal: to win and be the best at what they do. Through countless hours of practice they become more than teammates; they become a family. “I would describe our team as talented, dedicated, devoted,
inspiring, and driven,” junior Mackenzie Hagood said.As a family, they celebrate wins; they encourage each other, but they also go through challenges together. “This year is different from any other year. Our team has been beaten up the whole season so far with injuries and people quitting, but that has not, and will not, hinder us in anything we do,” senior Kaylee Bright said. “We’ve been forced to cope with these hardships, and if you ask me, it has made us closer and stronger.” The head of this competing cheer family is Coach Kami Appleton. Coach Appleton teaches math here at Dorman and spends the majority of her, what is supposed to be free time, being a “second mom” to the girls of her team. “It feels great when I see all the “BeYOUtiful” signs and fans there to cheer us on,” Jarrett said. “It is always great to know you are supported.”In late October, the Varsity cheerleaders finished first in the AAAA varsity division in the Dorman Cavalier Cheer Classic,
and they were the grand champions of the competition.As this dedicated team prepares to enter their last serval competions, they would like to invite you to be their cheerleaders!

Dorman’s volleyball team is off to a fast start, again! The Lady Cavaliers have won an outstanding
ten state championships under Coach Paula Kirkland. Coach Kirkland demands
excellence and really focuses on the things that will win games in crunch time and the girls really
step up to everything she challenges. “We do the little things right. Those little things tend to right the
ship and pave the way positive for work by all,” says Coach Paula Kirkland
In region play this year, the Cavaliers are undefeated with a key win over the favored champion Byrnes.
The game was an anticipated one, drawing a large crowd from both schools. The “Kirkland Crazies” really added
a home field type of atmosphere to the game for the Lady Cavaliers. “The volleyball games are awesome to come
to because our fans always come to the game very hype,” said senior Bryson Greene .
They were down two games to none which is the equivalent of being down 50 to 0! Thanks to key play from junior
Johna Robbins and senior Carolyne Greene, the Cavs stormed back to win the game 3 to 2 and take control of Region
II IVA.
”It felt good to beat Byrnes because it was the potential last time playing them at home during the regular season,”
senior Emma Grace Gilliam said. “But my main focus is too beat them at their place for the region title.”
The Cavaliers have also knocked off Gaffney, Mauldin, Wade Hampton, Spartanburg, Boiling Springs and Riverside.
They won the Region II IVA championship with Byrnes on October 16.
On Thursday, October 11 at the volleyball game at 7:00, the Lady Cavs sponsored the Dig for Diabetes. This event
raised funds for the St. Luke Medical clinic here in Spartanburg. They also strive to seek awareness about Diabetes across
the school and with everyone in attendance.
The most decorated sports team at Dorman is the volleyball team hands
down. What Coach Kirkland has done with the team, and how the team has
responded in big games, is off the charts. The volleyball team has won eleven
state championships in thirteen appearances! After the last championship in
2009, the Lady Cavs are hungry for another title this year.

Do we, as a student body, give our awesome Cavalier band the recognition they deserve?
The band performs at every home game on Friday nights, and they have competitions on Saturday mornings. At the games, without the band, we wouldn’t have half of the school spirit that we already have.
“In order to have a successful show, there are weeks of practices. Here’s the thing: a show is never really done until
the last competition and you’re walking off the field. That moment when you’re still running on adrenaline is when you know that the show was a success,” senior assistant drum major
Mikaela Jones said.
Performing in band takes a lot of time and a lot of hard work. You have to give up most of your free time, but in the end, it’s all worth it.
“Call me crazy, but I love getting up early on a Saturday for competitions, even practices,” Jones said.
Many people will say that Band is not a sport, but if you ask any band member what they do after school on a daily basis, they will say they have band practice until late in the afternoon,
and band takes up most of their Saturdays. Practicing for a competion/show takes several weeks.
Band members spend so much time together that they are like one, big family. They don’t only spend most of their time playing and practicing; they also spend a lot of time outside of band. Band builds lifelong friendships beyond high school
The students not only attend many competitions and play at every football game, but they also play at our pep rallies. They make the entire crowd enthusiastic and provide a relaxed
atmosphere for the pep rally activities. The sound of the drum line in the hallways not only signals the start of the pep rally, but it gives us a glimpse to a side of the band that we don’t normally get to see.
Dorman ranks high in most of their band competitions, and on October 20th, they won Best Drum Major and placed eighth in the finals.
The next time you are at a home football game, take a moment
and actually watch the band perform; you’ll appreciate the hard work that goes into making the beat of the Cavalier.