Author Archives: DenairPulse Editor

Denair Trustees Whittle Superintendent Choices to Final 4

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The Denair Unified School District board narrowed the list of applicants to become the next superintendent to four finalists at a special meeting Monday night.

Trustees also announced the names of nine employees and community members who will participate in two days of interviews this weekend that will lead to the selection of the next superintendent.

The board’s search for a replacement for Aaron Rosander has been guided by consultants from McPherson & Jacobson, who helped trustees winnow a list of 21 applicants to the final four. Rosander announced in February he will leave the district at the end of June after 4½ years.

Chief Business Officer Linda Covello, the district’s lead official for the search, said applications were received from educators in Stanislaus County, other parts of California and outside the state.

Two finalists will interview with trustees as well as the stakeholder committee on Saturday and two more will do the same on Sunday. The meetings are not open to the public.

The members of the stakeholder committee are student Adrianna Snyder, community member Dennis Findley, classified employee Gayle Schell, teacher Deborah Voss, Senior Director David Naranjo, Denair High Principal Kara Backman, and parents Gerardo Retana, John Greff, Cheryl Rice and Leticia Christen.

The committee will provide input and insight about the finalists to trustees, who expect to decide on a new superintendent Sunday night. Once that choice is made, McPherson & Jacobson will conduct a final round of background checks before an offer is extended.

That person is expected to be introduced at the May 10 board meeting, with the new superintendent in place by July 1.

New Chromebooks a Big Hit in Denair Classrooms

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Technology permeates every classroom in the Denair Unified School District. It’s not a matter of if teachers and students will incorporate computer-based instruction as part of everyday learning, but how they will do it.

From the earliest grades at Denair Elementary Charter Academy to middle and high school students across the street and across all subject areas, access to technology is an expectation, not a luxury.

Every Denair student at every grade level has a district email account and access to Google Drive that allows them to log in in every class. They also can sign into their account from home to work on projects or complete homework.

“These kids have grown up with technology in their hands, unlike any other generation before them,” said Mark Ranes, a former teacher who is now the district’s technology director. “Most were using mobile devices before they could write. They are wired differently than us adults.

“We’ve reached a point in education where we are no longer teaching ‘technology’ to students; we’re teaching them to use technology to learn.”

The district has invested heavily to get to this point. This year, it used nearly $300,000 in state funding saved over several years to add 18 Chromebook carts to its tech arsenal. The portable carts can be moved from class to class. Each contains up to 30 Dell Chromebook computers with charging stations.

The new computers brought the district’s number of carts to 20, with another five in the pipeline for next year. Eventually, Ranes said, each student is likely to be assigned his or her own computer.

Demand has been tremendous across the four campuses – DECA, Denair Middle School, Denair High School and Denair Charter Academy. The rollout was delayed until the district could upgrade its wireless network last fall. Once that was completed, the computer floodgates opened.

“We were asked on pretty much a weekly basis when they were coming to the sites,” Ranes said. “We didn’t want to let them out in the wild until I was sure the network could handle 450 new devices.” Continue reading “New Chromebooks a Big Hit in Denair Classrooms” »

Bus Stop Comes to Denair Gaslight Theater

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Submitted by Denair Gaslight Community Conservatory

The Gaslight Theater has an upcoming theatrical production titled Bus Stop.  The 1956 film starring Marilyn Monroe was based off of this play.

In the middle of a howling snowstorm, a bus out of Kansas City pulls up at a small roadside diner. All roads are blocked, and the weary travelers on board have to take refuge in the diner until morning. Cherie, a nightclub singer, has the most to worry about. She’s being pursued by “a young cowboy with all the romantic finesse of a rodeo bull.” The belligerent cowhand is right behind her, ready to sling her over his shoulder and carry her, alive and kicking, all the way to Montana. As a counterpoint to the main romance, the proprietor of the cafe and the bus driver who have previously only spent time in passing, find time to develop a friendship of their own; a middle-age scholar comes to terms with himself; and a young girl who works in the cafe also gets her first taste of romance.

Show times are April 13, 14, 20 and 21, 2018 at 07:00 pm, and a matinée on April 15, 2018 at 2:00 pm. This show is rated PG-13.

General admission is $10, seniors and students are $8. Tickets may be purchased at showtix4u.com or by calling (209) 664-9541. For more information about the show please go to www.denairgaslight.com.

Denair Gaslight Theater is located at 3908 N. Gratton, Denair, CA 95316.

Career Fair Encourages Students to Find Their Passion

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Submitted by Denair High School

Denair High School graduate Randy Jones talked about what it’s like being a civil engineer for the City of Turlock. Sarah Jennings of the Paul Mitchell School in Modesto extolled the possibilities of a career in the hair or skin care industries. Explorer Scouts Landon Zamora and Carlos Lerma discussed what it takes to become a sheriff’s deputy.

They represented just a handful of more than 20 potential career paths Denair students were exposed to Wednesday morning during an informative and wide-ranging College and Career Fair.

The point, explained Principal Kara Backman, wasn’t to direct teens down any particular path, but to open their eyes to many different possibilities. Students from both Denair High as well as Denair Middle School participated.

“We really want kids to figure out what their inner passion is and learn about the kinds of skills they need to develop to attain it,” she said.

The presenters ranged from Turlock orthopedic surgeon Scott Calhoun (another Denair graduate) to a myriad of business owners, a real estate professional who also is a life coach, a police detective, someone from the manufacturing industry, dairy and almond farmers, teachers, an auto mechanic, a social worker, a welder and a dental hygienist.

Students were able to sign up for three 20-minute sessions to listen, watch videos in some cases and ask questions.

Jones, Class of 2005, told students how he turned a lifelong love of math and science into a career as a civil engineer. He talked about working together as part of a team to solve problems and create long-lasting solutions.

His latest assignment, he said is an $8 million project to redesign 1.4 miles of West Main Street between Highway 99 and downtown Turlock.

“Most of the homes along the road are 100 years old. The infrastructure also is 100 years old,” Jones said. “We’re trying to have the least impact on people’s lives and build a project that will last another 100 years.”

Answering students’ questions, he said engineers can expect to earn $75,000 to $140,000 a year after spending up to six years in college. Continue reading “Career Fair Encourages Students to Find Their Passion” »