Author Archives: DenairPulse Editor

Denair High quartet take the field for North squad in third annual Merced County all-star matchup

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MERCED – A.J. Jones caught a pair of touchdown passes – one with about six minutes remaining – to lead the South all-stars to a 22-13 come-from-behind victory over the North on Saturday in the third annual Merced County All-Star Football Classic at Golden Valley High School.
Despite the setback for the North, Denair High football alums played a key role in the contest.
Degan Butler, Ernesto Silva, Darrien Schell, and Even Coronel donned the North’s blue jersey.
Butler hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Los Banos’ Gavin Estrada that gave the North squad a 10-9 halftime lead.
“This was really fun; I had a blast,” said Coronel, who will be the Coyotes’ lone representative in the Lions All-Star Football Game this Saturday in Tracy. “Everybody came out here and played their best. And it really doesn’t matter who won or lost. This was about coming out here and playing football for the last time. A lot of these guys probably aren’t going to play football again; I’m not going to play after next week. It was just about coming out here and having fun.”
Jones, who starred at El Capitan High School and will play at Modesto Junior College in the fall, connected with quarterback Vicente Cortez (Merced) on a 60-yard scoring strike for the game’s first score. Jones and Cortez hooked up for a 59-yard score later in the opening stanza, but a penalty nullified the touchdown and brought the ball back to the 14-yard line.
The Jones-Cortez combo came through once again in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
With the South nursing a slim 16-13 lead after Cortez’s 1-yard TD pass to Hayden Czirban with 3:59 left in the third quarter, Cortez lofted a ball deep downfield to Jones, who outjumped two North defenders to high-point the ball and then high-step his way into the end zone from about the 20 to complete a 58-yard connection that made it 22-13.
Jones was named the game’s MVP for his efforts.
After Jones’ first score of the night made it 6-0, the South extended its lead to 9-0 on a 24-yard field goal by Merced High’s Haziell Reyes.
The North finally got on the board when Atwater High product Trevor Hill knocked in a 37-yard field goal to make it 9-3 with 6:46 to play in the first half, then took the lead on Butler’s score.
The North stretched the lead to 13-9 with in 9:49 to play in the third quarter when Hill booted a 35-yard field goal – set up by Estrada’s nifty 68-yard scramble – but lost the lead for good on Czirban’s score six minutes later.

Central Valley Sky Calendar – June 2026

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Planet Parade: 
Venus is the brightest object in the night sky this month. Looking west, just after sunset, make a fist and hold it at arm’s length. Venus will be about two fist-widths (20 degrees) above the horizon.
Jupiter starts the month southeast (above and to the left) of Venus and is the second brightest object in the night sky. Take time to observe the motion of these “wandering stars” throughout the month as Jupiter moves closer to the horizon and passes within one degree (about the width of your pinky) of Venus on June 9th. 
Mercury can be found if you look closely, just above the horizon, about two fists north (to the right) of Venus. Binoculars may help you pick it out of the evening twilight. On the 16th, look for the sliver of a waxing crescent moon about halfway between Mercury and Jupiter.
Saturn and Mars join the parade in the morning sky this month. Look to the east, just before sunrise, and Saturn will be about three fists above the horizon with Mars, the brighter of the two, just above the horizon.
Constellations and Celestial Highlights:
Facing North, you will find the Big Dipper has rotated to the west and looks like it is hanging on a hook in a cosmic kitchen. The two stars on the outer edge of the bowl are nearly horizontal and point to Polaris, the North Star. Follow the arc of the three stars in the Big Dipper’s handle and “arc” over to the red giant star Arcturus in the constellation Boötes. 
Test your vision with the Mizar/Alcor star system. Look closely at the middle star of the Big Dipper’s handle.  Can you see two stars?  If so, congratulations, you have 20/20 vision!
By mid-month, the “Summer Triangle” asterism makes its appearance low in the northeast after 9:30pm. Look for three bright stars: blue-white Vega (in the constellation Lyra), blue super-giant Deneb (in the constellation Cygnus) and blue-white Altair (in the constellation Aquila). Do you see the triangle?  Using binoculars, compare the brightness and color of these with the red giant, Arcturus. 
For a challenge, get away from city lights and, using binoculars, try to find the Hercules star cluster (M13). Look along the western edge of the trapezoid-shaped “keystone” that makes up the core of Hercules, about two fist widths from Vega, toward Arcturus. What looks like a fuzz ball is actually a globular cluster consisting of hundreds of thousands of stars!
Did you know?
June’s full moon is called the Strawberry Moon. The name originates from Native American traditions to mark the season when wild strawberries and other fruit ripen.
Summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, occurs on Father’s Day, June 21.
Tech Talk:
Asterism: A pattern of stars that forms a recognizable shape. They can be part of a single constellation or made up of stars from multiple constellations. Examples include the Big Dipper and the Summer Triangle. Can you make your own asterisms?
Local Outreach Events: 
Friday, June 5, 7-10 pm: Great Valley Museum Science Night, MJC West Campus, featuring a natural history museum, hands-on exhibits, planetarium shows and rooftop observatory (https://www.mjc.edu/gvm/index.html). 
For Open Sky Outreach, Star Tours and Telescope Talks, email openskyoutreach@gmail.com.

By Jim Brugger and Fred Yerzy, Open Sky Outreach

Spring iReady assessments of DUSD students
show improvements over fall semester

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With the 2025-26 school year having just come to a close, the Denair Unified School District Board of Trustees on Thursday heard from district principals about improvements in math and reading test scores from the fall semester to the spring semester.

Principals Crystal Sousa, Ed.D. (Denair Elementary Charter Academy), Jamie Pecot (Denair Charter Academy), Gabriela Sarmiento (Denair Middle School), and Breanne Aguiar (Denair High School) took turns presenting the board with data gleaned from the iReady assessment tests.

iReady is an online assessment and skills practice platform used districtwide. Students take a diagnostic test three times per year, and teachers use the information to determine what interventions will help students improve their progress toward grade level standard (or extend their learning if they are already at/above standard). This cycle of assessment and practice provides targeted support and allows teachers to regularly monitor student progress.

DECA test results showed that students who were two or more grade levels behind in reading decreased from 45 to 26 percent, while the number of students scoring at or above proficient in reading increased from 16 to 33 percent. On the math side, the number of students two or more grade levels behind in math decreased from 48 to 23 percent, with the number of students scoring at or above proficient increased from 5 to 21 percent.

According to Sousa, a large group of students – 55 percent in math and 42 percent in reading – are just below grade level and within reach of proficiency, which could result in a significant shifting of the numbers moving forward.

Data showed a similar picture at DCA, where the number of students who scored two or more grade levels behind in reading went from 52 to 40 percent by the end of the school year, while students who scored mid or above grade level in math went from 7 to 18 percent.

Figures for DMS students show the percentage of students that scored at or above grade level in reading increased considerably from 20 to 34 percent, while the percentage 

that scored at or above grade level in math increased significantly from 11 to 24 percent.

At Denair High, among freshmen and sophomores, there was a 12 percent reduction in students scoring three or more grade levels below in math, and a 12 percent improvement in students meeting early on or above/at grade level progress. That demonstrates the most substantial improvement for DHS over the past three years of implementation, according to Aguiar. On the reading side, 6 percent of students met progress goals (early on or above/at grade level) – a reduction in the number of students scoring one or more grade levels below.

Overall, every group of students made progress at all schools. Principals attributed the growth to a better understanding about how to use the platform and the results of the diagnostic, and staff creativity in rewarding students’ effort and growth.  

The trustees also heard details on the proposed 2026-27 DUSD budget, as well as the Local Control and Accountability Plan. The district and charter LCAPs provide a roadmap for goals, actions for improving student outcomes, and spending related to those actions. The LCAPs and budget will be back before the board for approval at the special June 11 meeting.

The Board heard an annual report on mental health services in the district. Clinician Lina Maria Mateus shared that the mental health team, which includes school counselors, a student assistance specialist, and Mateus, served 813 students this school year. About 270 of those students were referred because they were disengaged from school or for academic concerns. Another 200 were referred due to family/home issues. Students who experience suicidal ideation and self-harm remain a concern, and the team is required to respond collaboratively with parents and administrators. Two highlighted successes were the annual Reasons for Living ice cream social, where 462 students placed their reasons for living on a tree mural, and recognition of the 14 field trips that provided students with wellness leadership, educational, and enrichment opportunities.

Members of Denair High School’s Class of 2026
receive their diplomas and flip those tassels

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The sun has set on the Class of 2026’s time at Denair High School.

Quite literally.

Just as the final diploma was handed out last Friday, and as Principal Breanne Aguiar officially introduced the graduating class for the first time, the warm Central Valley sun dipped below the horizon with a golden flourish.

“I don’t know how I did it,” said Aguiar, when asked how she timed the festivities to conclude just as the sun was setting. “It wasn’t planned; that’s for sure.”

What was planned, however, was a crisp, 70-minute ceremony that started precisely at 7 p.m. with the playing of “Pomp and Circumstance” and the entrance of the school’s 66 graduates, resplendent in purple caps and gowns.

Speeches by Aguiar, Superintendent Terry Metzger, Ed.D., valedictorian Emma Sarmiento, salutatorian Brayden Hart, ASB president McKinley Binkley, and senior class president Allison Cherry highlighted the event. And even though graduation ceremonies everywhere have a similar structure, Metzger believes they have unique qualities, too.

“Every single ceremony has its own rhythm, its own flair, its own flavor,” the superintendent said. “It’s hard to describe. Sometimes it’s in the audience and the families cheering for their kids; sometimes it’s in the speeches and who was chosen to give them. But the similarity and the consistency is that these kids love each other. They’ve grown up together and they’ve become a family.”

Aguiar echoed those sentiments.

“Each class brings its unique character,” she said. “And this class, specifically, was special for me because it was the first that I led for all four years. This class will hold a special place in my heart because of that.”

Sarmiento, who plans on attending UC Merced in the fall, delivered a stirring 10-minute bilingual address.

“I had written my speech, made a few edits, and was really proud with what I came up with,” said the valedictorian, who graduated with a 4.35 GPA and plans on majoring in human biology. “I’m just really excited to have this tassel on the other side of my cap.”

During her address, Sarmiento told her classmates, “Over the past four years, I have quietly observed the growth of each of us. Not just in our academic or athletic achievements, but in something that will carry us far beyond high school: I saw us grow in character.”

Members of the Class of 2026 will soon strike out on new journeys, looking to make an impact in places near and far.

“We talk a lot about making an impact on the world,” Binkley told her classmates. “Big dreams, big goals, big futures. But I’ve been thinking: what if the most important impact we make isn’t someday, somewhere far away, but right here in the everyday moments we’ve already lived? The truth is, every single one of us has changed someone else’s life just by being a part of it.”

In addition to the speakers, Cloey Ellerd and Valente Rosales led the Pledge of Allegiance, Zara Devales sang the national anthem, and Dakota Shaw and Chace Butler recognized the scholarship benefactors, who contributed some $73,000 to further DHS students’ education.

DUSD students ready for summer break as promotion, graduation ceremonies get underway

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The calendar says that summer is still a month away, but students at Denair Unified School District know better.

The unofficial start to summer begins with the end of the school year, and the 2025-26 term is coming to a close this week with promotion and graduation ceremonies throughout DUSD.

Following the promotion of DCA middle-schoolers on Tuesday, seniors at Denair Charter Academy will graduate Wednesday, May 20, in a 7 p.m. ceremony at Jack Lytton Stadium. 

“It’s been a pleasure getting to know the Class of 2026 throughout the years,” said DCA Principal Jamie Pecot. “This group of students has shown incredible determination, perseverance and inner strength. And that’s something we can all learn from.”

Denair Middle School eighth-graders will be promoted to high school on Thursday evening at 7, while the seniors will bid farewell to Denair High on Friday at 7 p.m.

“Watching our eighth-graders promote is always a bittersweet moment for us,” said DMS principal Gabriela Sarmiento, who will have the pleasure the following night of watching her daughter Emma give the valedictory speech during the DHS graduation ceremony. “We’re filled with pride for how much they have grown but also a bit of sadness knowing that they are moving on to high school and young adulthood. With every promotion though, we also look forward to welcoming a new class of sixth-graders and the refreshing new energy they will bring onto our campus.”

DHS Principal Breanne Aguiar felt similarly.

“I’m so proud of all our graduates,” said Aguiar. “I always ask them to come back to Denair and tell us what they’ve accomplished. We’re always so excited to find out what they’re doing and how they’re doing.”