Denair High senior Christian Perez became the first-ever Coyote to be honored by the Sac-Joaquin Section for his accomplishments as an athlete as well as his success in the classroom and contributions in the community.

Perez earned a prestigious A. Dale Lacky Scholar-Athlete Award, it was announced last week. He is one of 41 students recognized in the Section – which ranges from Merced to north of Sacramento and Napa nearly to Lake Tahoe.  The award is named after former Section and State CIF President A. Dale Lacky. Each league within the Section nominates a male and female athlete for the award.

Perez played on the football and baseball teams for three years each while maintaining a 3.7 GPA in the classroom and making the school’s Honor Roll. In 2018, he was a member of Denair’s Section and state championship football team, playing linebacker and wide receiver. Off the field, he volunteers with Denair Youth Football and won the school’s Committed Coyote Award, which is part of a program intended to allow students to reach their full potential by avoiding reckless behavior. It was created through a partnership between student athletes, teachers, coaches and Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services.

“It’s great to be recognized because this year with quarantine, I worked really hard to keep my grades up through everything,” Perez told the Turlock Journal. “I think this is a diamond in the rough — it’s something great in a bad situation and really helped motivate me to continue doing well.”

It was Staff Appreciation Week in the Denair Unified School District, a time to recognize and honor the many positive impacts employees consistently make on more than 1,300 students.

The district includes nearly 250 teachers, food service workers, classroom aides, office staff, grounds and maintenance employees, counselors and others across its four campuses. All play key roles in educating students ranging in age from pre-school to high school.

“Our employees are the heart of our district,” said Superintendent Terry Metzger. “Our mission is to provide the very best education we can to every student and that wouldn’t be possible without the professionalism, passion and dedication of each of our employees.

“That’s never been truer than in the past year, when we have been challenged to continue that mission in a way that most of us never could have imagined. We truly appreciate each and every one of our employees who have enabled us to serve our students.”

On Tuesday, each Denair employee received a card from Metzger and the five school board members expressing thanks for the difference they make in the lives of children. Wednesday, every employee was invited to enjoy a free drink paid for by the district from the Coyote Cup of Kindness, a cart run by the high school’s special education students. And Thursday, there was a barbecue luncheon for all employees.