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September 20th, 2023

Senior Sunrise: A Bright Start for a Final Year at Lecanto High School
Senior Sunrise
Caption: The seniors pose together the morning of Senior Sunrise at Lecanto High School on August 18th
(Photo: Hollie Dutcher).		 The Panther Pulse Staff - The sun painted the sky in hues of gold and orange on the morning of August 18th, 2023, as Lecanto High School [LHS] held the third annual Senior Sunrise event. Our faculty and our senior representative, Breanna Haufler, headlined the gathering. Senior Sunrise was set up this year to give the class of 2024 the chance to witness the dawn of a new school year and the beginning of their final chapter at LHS.

 LHS faculty and the senior representatives set up the event and aimed to ignite the seniors' spirits and motivate them for the journey ahead. Teachers took the stage to deliver speeches that resonated deeply with the seniors.
  “I reminded them that there are people in the world who make things happen, and there are those who watch things happen, and the last group says what happened. I reminded them that not everyone has to make things happen, most of us are watching things happen, but this year make sure you step outside your comfort zone and make something happen. Make sure this year is worth remembering,” said Health Opportunities through Physical Education teacher Timothy Henson during his memorable speech.
Some of the seniors considered the morning a profound experience while emphasizing the motivational impact of the teachers' speeches during LHS’ third annual Senior Sunrise. "The teachers gave motivational speeches this year while we all watched the sunrise,” said senior Aiden Zybell.

The event wasn't just about speeches; it was a rare opportunity for the seniors to come together. Many seniors expressed the sentiment of unity, which pervaded the event.

“It was great to be there with my class of seniors. We haven’t been able to get in any senior-only gatherings,” said senior Jillian Zimmer.

Amid all the moments that stood out during Senior Sunrise, some thought the togetherness displayed was one of the finest points of the morning. One senior cherished the collective class.

“My favorite part was probably the big picture of our class. We were pulled into a big group for a class picture,” said senior Matthew Weigant.

Pirates head forward

By Morgan Gibson

Welcome back the Crystal River Pirates Swim & Dive season with 30 swimmers this year, with 13 new swimmers on deck.

Coming back to the pool this year are seniors Becca Smith and Justin Rieck. With over 10 new additions to the team, key newcomers who will make a positive impact on the team are girl swimmers freshman Reina Touchton and senior Eliana Nanni. Male swimmers who will score points are junior Connor Spiddle and freshman Andrew Reeves, and a new swimmer with hopes to make it to the 2A State Championships in November, junior Cruz Helmstetter.

Idalia was not a threat to CR

Hurricane Idalia hit Crystal River with not only heavy winds, but mass flooding near the home practice pool of Bicentennial Pool. Crystal River missed one meet against Berkeley Preparatory School, and missed four practices.

“We are  still recovering from being out of the water, and there is only up from here," returning head coach Michelle Dickemann said.

Dickemann says that this year’s team is a team with exemplary sportsmanship, and they show extreme support for teammates, along with expressing a true love of the sport.

Crystal River has yet to be defeated this season, on both the girls’ and the boys’ team.

Week 1 of the season, the Pirates went against Weeki Wachee High School. Both girls and boys won the meet, with boys scoring 108 points (Weeki 38), and girls scoring 115 points (Weeki 50).

In between Week 2 was against Springstead High School, and yet again, Crystal River won the meet, with boys scoring 105 points (Springstead 51), and girls scoring 87 points (Springstead 80).