Monthly Archives: April 2015

‘Every 15 Minutes’ Presentation Impacts Students

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Every 15 MinutesImagine, if you can, being zipped into a body bag, taken to the morgue and pushed into a cold, dark space. Ashley Ramaley can. It happened to her Thursday.

Imagine, also, being whisked by helicopter or ambulance to the nearest hospital with critical injuries suffered in a horrific car collision. Imagine that all the emergency measures weren’t enough, that you were pronounced dead and your family members were brought to identify your body. Jose Fuentes and Yulissa Tafolla can. They had it happen to them Thursday.

And finally, imagine being the cause of so much pain, suffering and grief. Weston Fair can. He was the drunken driver behind the wheel Thursday in an “Every 15 Minutes” simulation played out at Denair High School.

It was a frightening, heart-breaking and, yes, sobering reminder to Denair’s students and others of the dangers of drinking and driving.

“Alcohol abuse and drunk driving is an avoidable epidemic that brings untold grief and tragedy to thousands of Americans each year,” said Denair Superintendent Aaron Rosander. “It is so critically important that we educate and impact the lives of our teens in powerful and lasting ways that will save lives and create a safer, healthier future culture. … Such activities serve to honor and protect the most wondrous gift of all: life!”

In reality, no one died. But that didn’t make the emotions any less real or raw for the 270 students the presentation was directed to, the 30 teens who one-by-one became “victims” throughout the day or the loved ones they left behind. Continue reading “‘Every 15 Minutes’ Presentation Impacts Students” »

DMS Sixth Graders Take To The Hills

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Outdoor School Teachers

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Six dozen sixth-graders from Denair Middle School are spending a week in the woods at the Foothills Education Outdoor Center, learning about geology, ecology and natural history. The camp has been a popular extension of the students’ science curriculum for decades and something they eagerly anticipate.

This year, the 72 students were accompanied by DMS teachers Linda Richardson, Patty Guillen and David Rodriguez as well several Denair High School students, who attend as camp counselors.

Students arrived at the 143-acre campus Monday and return Friday afternoon. The lessons are conducted by the Foothills staff naturalists and are very interactive. Students take nature hikes during the day and night, learn about the Me-Wuk culture and have trips to nearby Calaveras Big Trees State Park and Moaning Cavern Adventure Park.

Boys and girls sleep in separate cabins and share meals in a large cafeteria. At night, there is dancing and presentations around a campfire.

This year, six-graders from Hart-Ransom School in west Modesto are at the camp at the same time as the Denair students.

“We are one of the few schools that are able to attend for the full five days of camp,” said Denair Principal Aaron Delworth, who enthusiastically recalls the camp from his own days as a sixth-grader in the 1980s.

The $284 cost per student for a weeklong stay – paid for by parents — has persuaded many school districts to reduce the number of days spent in Sonora. Not Denair. Delworth said students hold fund-raisers to reduce their families’ costs. The Parents Supporting Education group underwrites a portion of the fee. Other parents and community members make contributions, Delworth said. And there are scholarships for some families available from the Stanislaus County Office of Education.

Foothill Horizons Outdoor School on Facebook

Four Apply For DHS Football Head Coach Position

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DHS Coyotes Football

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Four men have been interviewed to become the next football coach at Denair High School, a vacancy unexpectedly created by Ted Howze’s engagement and recent decision to move to Stockton with his fiancée.

Two finalists will advance to the next round of the interview process and a new coach could be introduced by the end of the month, said Denair High School Principal Aaron Delworth. The applicants include coaches from the region as well as outside the area, he said.

“We are very sad to see Ted go. He brought fire and passion back to the football program,” said Delworth. “Players walked taller in the hallways and the conversations on Fridays were always positive. He did a great job in rejuvenating our program and bringing pride back to the school. …

“Our focus now is to find a coach who will bring the same fire and passion, and continue the process of building a dominant football program. We have very high expectations for our program and will need a coach who shares our vision.”

Superintendent Aaron Rosander also credited Howze with establishing “a strong foundation upon which a new era in DHS football can be built.” He said the school is “looking not only for a qualified football coach, but for an individual with exemplary leadership skills who transmits pride, energy and a passion for excellence across the entire school.”

Howze, 48, a large-animal veterinarian by trade, was a non-traditional choice last spring to take over the Coyotes’ program, which had fallen on hard times after previous success. Denair was winless in 2013, but improved to 3-7 last fall despite finishing the season with only 20 varsity players. Howze used a deceptive single-wing offense and hustling defense to re-establish the Coyotes as a competitive team in the Southern League. Continue reading “Four Apply For DHS Football Head Coach Position” »

DECA Petition Up For Final Approval By DUSD Board

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DUSD Logo

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

A new elementary charter school that would include Spanish instruction for all students with rigorous core subjects and exposure to fine arts tops the list of items to be considered Thursday night by the Denair Unified School District board of trustees.

The proposal calls for Denair Unified School District to form a new school known as Denair Elementary Charter Academy, or DECA, for the 2015-16 school year.

DECA’s mission, according to the proposed new charter, “is to provide students with an engaging, nurturing, equitable learning environment that promotes the development of skills necessary for the 21st century.”

One of the innovative features of the new charter school would be a dual immersion English/Spanish class for kindergarteners. The class would follow the 90% Spanish and 10% English dual immersion model, said Principal Sara Michelena. The goal is to have a 50/50 mix of English and Spanish speakers. The intent, she said, is to add a dual immersion class at successive grade levels each year as the first group of kindergartners gets older.

All other DECA students also will have regular Spanish instruction, Michelena said. In addition, the new charter school would have two 30-station computer labs to teach tech skills and would continue to focus on arts enrichment for all students. Even at the elementary level, there will be an emphasis on building a college-going culture and “assist students to become self-motivated, competent, lifelong learners.”

Parents and community members can weigh in on the new charter at Thursday night’s meeting. Trustees have until the end of April to adopt the rewritten charter petition and send it to the state, which must give final approval.

Thursday’s meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the district’s board room at 3460 Lester Road.