Submitted by Denair Farm & Family Festival
Denair Farm & Family Festival is looking for volunteers to help with the Festival this Saturday, September 13, 2014, from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. Duties are minimal and you do not have to be there the whole day. Have an extra hour? They’ll will take it! If you have a need to do something wonderful and worthwhile for your community, please contact James Shehan on Facebook or www.denairfestival.com website.
Submitted by Denair Unified School District
Ecstatic. That was how Denair High football coach Ted Howze described his players’ reaction after a dominating 54-8 victory over Riverbank on Friday night.
It was the Coyotes’ first varsity win since the 2012 season and it helped to take the sting out of a 32-6 home loss to Summerville in the first game.
Howze said Denair’s players were “shell shocked” early in the Summerville game by a couple of big plays, but improved as the night went on. He said his coaching staff “built on the positives” as they prepared for Riverbank.
“We went through the film and corrected simple mistakes,” said Howze, the Coyotes’ first-year coach.
The result? A thorough annihilation of the Bruins. Denair led 13-0 before Riverbank touched the ball, 26-0 after the first quarter and 40-8 at halftime.
The Coyotes’ power running game overwhelmed Riverbank, piling up more than 300 yards in the first two quarters and 497 for the game. Senior fullback Austin Hughes led the way with 140 yards and a touchdown, senior running back Alex Valle gained 120 and scored three times, and senior quarterback Dominyc Silva ran for two touchdowns and returned a fumble recovery on defense for a third.
Denair frequently ran behind right tackle Ryan Galahno, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound senior who mauled Riverbank’s defense. Continue reading “DHS Dominates Riverbank 54-8” »
Submitted by Denair Unified School District
Mr. Donald Thissen brings to Denair Unified School District over 28 years of music teaching experience in public schools and private lessons in California, Oregon and Nevada, with bands as small as six students to groups over 200 strong. Mr. Thissen will lead the high school band, the middle school band, fifth grade band, and elementary music.
Mr. Thissen graduated from Fresno State with a degree in Music Education after attending Chowchilla High School. He has performed professionally as a trombone player with the Merced Symphony (where he was also manager), Tulare County Symphony, the Fresno Philharmonic, the Eugene Opera and with community concert and jazz bands in California and Oregon. He has performed with jazz greats Don Ellis, Maynard Ferguson, and others from the Old Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
At Denair, Mr. Thissen would like to see the program grow back to a full time position. In time, he envisions the introduction of Beginning Guitar, Jazz Studies/Jazz Band, and developing greater continuity within the music program, to keep students who begin an instrument in elementary school continuing through high school graduation.
Mr. Thissen loves working with youth. His favorite moments are those “I got it” moments when his students’ faces beam with pride for what they have accomplished with music. He added, “It’s great to see them show what they have learned and express the love of music that I brought to them.”
Mr. Thissen has been married to his “best friend” Nancy for over 38 years. They met in college and have two sons who are both married. The Thissens have five grandchildren.
Submitted by Denair Unified School District
Mr. Rick Diaz is Denair High School’s new Ag teacher. He teaches Small Engines, Introductory and Advanced Ag Mechanics, Landscape and Farm Management, and Ag Earth Science.
Mr. Diaz graduated from Fresno State University with a degree in Ag Business and a minor in Plant Science. He was raised on a vineyard in Fresno and has repaired farm machinery since he was a boy.
For the past four years, Mr. Diaz has taught shop classes and has been a Welding Instructor at Fresno City College.
Mr. Diaz enjoys watching his students grow in their knowledge and skills and arrive at a higher level of confidence. He would like to see the Denair High School Ag program grow into a three-teacher team where there is an expert in plant science, animal science, and Ag mechanics. He is considering his students’ requests to coach an Ag Mechanics team.
In addition to teaching, for the past 20 years, Mr. Diaz has been a wrestling official and a part time charter bus driver.
Submitted by Denair Unified School District
Ms. Isabel Alvarado is the new Spanish teacher at Denair Middle School. She graduated from Atwater High School and went on to CSU Stanislaus where she graduated in 2012 with a double major in Spanish and Sociology.
Ms. Alvarado is a native Spanish speaker who came to the United States at age 10. She was challenged learning English and took it in stride when classmates teased her about her difficulty speaking English. This hard working student pursued her education and helped other students struggling with English. In college, she worked for the migrant program tutoring students.
In the classroom, Ms. Alvarado works on providing engaging activities to help students learn vocabulary and have fun speaking in Spanish as they are learning. She loves when her students participate in her lessons.
Ms. Alvarado is collaborating with other Spanish teachers in the Denair Unified School District to make a continuous curriculum that best meets the needs of students. She hopes her students continue studying Spanish in high school.
Ms. Alvarado believes in the power of learning a second language and reminds her students that bilingualism can help them get jobs and assist them in traveling the world.
Ms. Alvarado is this year’s Middle School soccer coach as well.