Derby Panthers usually bleed green. But on Jan. 28 2013 DHS students bleed purple. On Jan. 26, 2013 DHS lost a fellow panther, freshman Braxton Kooser. To honor him, the community all came together and decided to wear purple the Monday after the accident. Not only did the Derby community wear purple, surrounding communities also heard about the tragedy and wore purple on Monday in his memory. The reason behind wearing purple, was because Kooser’s favorite college was K-State. The high school administration understands that the first week of school after the accident would be hard on a lot of Derby students and staff. They offered counseling in the auditorium for all those students that needed to talk out their feelings.  Another way the student body honored Kooser was by tweeting to Sports Center, so his story could be nationally known. Kooser was an amazing athlete and sports were a big part of his life. He was the second freshman football player to wear Colby Liston’s number nine jersey for hard work and being a leader. DHS students all came together to support each other. When one panther hurts they all hurt, DHS isn’t just a school, it’s a family.

-Marisa Wilbert