Monthly Archives: February 2015

Kindergarten Registration Begins in Denair for 2015-16 School Year

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DES Coyote Cub

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Kindergarten registration begins Tuesday at Denair Elementary School for the 2015-16 school year.

Application forms in English and Spanish can be downloaded from the school’s website or can be picked up at the school office at 3773 Madera Ave. Parents and guardians must provide copies of their child’s birth certificate and immunization records.

Officials will be on hand from 3-6 p.m. Tuesday to answer questions, offer assistance in filling out the forms and accept completed applications. People also can call the school office at 632-8887 for more information.

Denair offers three options for kindergarten:

  • Traditional full day classes for children who will be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2015.
  • Dual immersion English and Spanish classes, also for children who will be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2015.
  • Transitional kindergarten for children who will turn 5 between Sept. 2 and Dec. 2, 2015.

Denair is in the process of merging its two elementary programs – Denair Elementary School and Denair Academic Avenues – into a unified kindergarten through fifth-grade campus under a single charter. The proposed name for the new school is Denair Elementary Charter Academy.

In anticipation of the new arrangement, DES and D2A already have begun joint activities this year, including a 20-minute assembly each Friday morning.

Three Denair High School Juniors to Attend RYLA

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rotary

Submitted by Sunrise Rotary of Turlock

Friday the 13th will be a lucky day for three Denair High School juniors.  Edwin Flores, Jordan Sandoval, and Eva Olivas have been selected to attend Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) camp at Camp Oakhurst for Eva and Calvin Crest for Edwin and Jordan.  The camps begin on Friday, February 13 and conclude on Monday, February 16.  Students selected for their leadership skills from throughout the Central Valley have been invited to attend this leadership camp where they will provide the music, events, a newspaper, nightly campfires, and run the camp.  The camp features speakers who are motivational speakers, business leaders, and government leaders.

The Sunrise Rotary of Turlock sponsors the students of Pitman High School, Turlock Christian High School, and Denair High School in being honored by RYLA.  When Eric Julien, Youth Services Chair of the Sunrise Rotary Club, found out that Denair hadn’t sent delegates for a number of years and inspired by hearing daily for thirty-six years from his wife, Becky Julien, former DES and D2A teacher, that Denair has great students, he contacted his former student, Elise Domico, guidance counselor, and former Rotary Leadership Camp attendee and employee.  Mrs. Domino advertised the opportunity to the juniors of DHS, collected the biographies and recommendations for applicants, and participated in interviews of all applicants.  After the applicants were interviewed, one male and one female student were selected as delegates and one male and one female alternate were selected.  An unfilled opening from another school in the valley meant that a second male student from Denair would also be able to attend.

Denair Superintendent of Schools, Aaron Rosander, upon being informed that Denair High School students would be attending RYLA, remarked, “I’m very familiar with RYLA. My own son was a participant a couple years ago in another county and high school. RYLA is an honor and terrific experience for high school students.”   Mrs. Domico is to be lauded for her efforts on behalf of Denair students.  Edwin, Jordan and Eva will represent Denair as leaders among their peers from the Central Valley and will experience a fun, challenging, and educational extended weekend.

DHS to Compete in Academic Decathlon Competition

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SCOE Academic Decathlon Logo

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Months of intense study, Saturday cram sessions and practice tests are over for the Denair High School Academic Decathlon team. The 16 students are as prepared as they can be and enter the countywide competition expecting to continue an impressive legacy – Denair has won the small-school championship in Stanislaus County the past five years.

“We have high hopes,” said first-year coach Sean Pham.

The 35th annual countywide competition is a two-day series of oral interviews, speeches and tests revolving around this year’s theme of “Renewable Energy.”

Friday night, Denair and more than a dozen other teams will gather at Enochs High School in Modesto for the speech and interview portions of the competition. Three judges will talk individually with each team member. Saturday, everyone moves to Modesto High School for tests in math, language and literature, economics, science, social science, art and music.

The overall champion and runner-up regardless of enrollment advance to the state finals in March in Sacramento.

The members of Denair’s team are Brandon Bettencourt, Alexis Brantley, Jennifer Calderon, Jacklyn Gonzales, Noah Johnson, Ryan Kisner, Andrew Knapp, Louis Koehn, Carter Lawson, Shawn McVeigh, Eva Olivas, Jose Orozco, Alexis Padilla, Jordan Sandoval, Garrett Schults and David Sweeten.

The team has been practicing since before school started in August, Pham said. Denair is one of the few schools that set aside a period each day for Academic Decathlon students. The Coyotes also have cram sessions every other Saturday, where former students often return to serve as mentors. Continue reading “DHS to Compete in Academic Decathlon Competition” »

DHS Student Earns FFA State Degree

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Kenneth Carder

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Denair High School’s Kenneth Carder is the only member of this senior class who has earned his FFA State Degree. This ambitious student, who has been a member of Denair FFA since eighth grade, previously earned his Greenhand and Chapter Farmer Degrees.

At the 2012 fair, Kenneth won Yorkshire Breed Champion. He placed first in market class for his pig in his freshman and sophomore year, and for his cow during his sophomore year. He also made it to finals in his junior and sophomore year, for showmanship of his pig.

Kenneth is working this year on his FFA American Degree, which is not awarded until next year. Currently enrolled at Modesto Junior College in an Ag Computer Applications class, Kenneth plans to major in Animal Science and become a veterinarian.

Kenneth demonstrates all three circles of the agriculture education model. He is an excellent student in class, attends monthly FFA meetings, and has carried out a Supervised Agricultural Education Project (SAEP) in swine, each year. Students like Kenneth are great role-models to those looking to be involved in FFA.