Author Archives: DenairPulse Editor

4 Turnovers Torpedo Coyotes in 27-19 Loss to Summerville in Season Opener

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DHS Coyotes Football

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Hang on to the ball and they have a chance. That’s what Denair High football coach Anthony Armas will be drilling into his players this week after a frustrating 27-19 loss to Summerville in the season opener Friday night.

The scrappy Coyotes, who dressed just 16 players, were undone by three fumbles and an interception. Two of the fumbles came in the second half, when Summerville rallied from a 19-13 deficit to take the lead. The interception came on the final play of regulation, when Denair quarterback Kyle Prock heaved a pass toward a teammate rather than take a sack that would have allowed the game clock to expire.

“We did well. We were able to move the ball, but the turnovers in the second half killed us,” said Armas.

More than 1,000 fans were treated to a back-and-forth game on a beautiful summer night at Jack Lytton Stadium.

The Bears (1-0) opened the scoring on a 10-yard pass from Gabe Walker to Zach Marquez in the first quarter.

The Coyotes (0-1) came storming back, taking advantage of Summerville’s own sloppiness (three turnovers in the first half).

Justin Steeley tied the game at 7-7 on a 7-yard run to cap off a nice drive. Then late in the first quarter, after the Coyotes’ recovered a fumble, Prock found Blake Davis on a 35-yard pass for another touchdown. A missed extra point left Denair on top 13-7.

Summerville tied the game on a TD run, but Denair wasn’t done. The Coyotes put together another nice drive that culminated in Brendan Curnow’s 1-yard score and a 19-13 lead after the two-point conversion attempt failed. Continue reading “4 Turnovers Torpedo Coyotes in 27-19 Loss to Summerville in Season Opener” »

Test Results Released for Denair and All Districts in California

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Like their peers in Stanislaus County and across California, Denair Unified students did better in English than on math in new state test results released this week.

The computer-adapted tests were given to nearly 3.2 million students in grades 3 through 8 and 11. The questions are based on students’ right and wrong answers to help determine their knowledge in a given subject. There also are essay questions and problem-solving tasks.

Educators agree that the new tests are more difficult than the multiple-choice versions they replaced, which were last taken by students in 2013.

In Denair, 681 students took the tests in the last school year. In English, 32% of all students met or exceeded the state standards, with the best scores at the middle school level. That compares to 33% in the practice tests taken one year earlier.

In Stanislaus County, 41% of students met or exceeded English standards. Across the state, 49% were judged to be at or above grade level.

In math, 17% of DUSD students met or exceeded state standards, with the best scores at the elementary levels. That compares to 20% in 2015.

In the county, 25% met or exceeded state math standards compared to 37% across the entire state.

“State testing automatically invokes comparison and compels improvement, not at all a bad thing,” said Denair Superintendent Aaron Rosander. “However, we must be careful not to rush to assumptions on why scores are comparatively low or high. The idea is to use the test for self-reflection and prudent analysis. With thoughtful adjustments to student use of the new technology format and to curriculum, test scores will quickly take care of themselves.”

Parents will receive individual student scores in the mail. For those who want to see complete district results or seek to a comparison with other schools or districts, all results can be viewed at http://caaspp.cde.ca.gov.

In addition, parents can access other test-tracking resources from the California Department of Education at http://testscoreguide.org.

The California State PTA also offers testing information and analysis at www.capta.org.

Denair Education Foundation August eCycle Event

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Submitted by Denair Education Foundation

Denair Education Foundation will be holding an eCycle event at Denair High School on Saturday, August 27, 2016, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  Gather those old TV’s, CPUs, monitors, laptops, printers, cell phones, scanners, and copiers. Donating them is free and helps raise funds for activities and equipment for the students of Denair Schools.

Your donations help students go on field trips, buy new technology equipment, sponsor scholarships, and enrich music, art, and theater curriculum.

Denair Education Foundation was established in 2005 to “enrich and improve the quality of the educational environment for the students of the Denair Unified School District.”  The list is long of funded opportunities for the students.  They are made possible through donations and our main e-cycle fundraiser.  Thanks to all who have donated!  You are helping Denair’s students and the environment!

Please join us at a meeting – the second Tuesday of each month –  in the DUSD Leadership Room and see how you can be a part of supporting our local schools!

Continue reading “Denair Education Foundation August eCycle Event” »

Small But Mighty – That’s the Theme of the 2016 Denair High Football Team

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

In addition to being a football coach, Anthony Armas is a math teacher. He understands numbers. And the bottom line tells a worrisome tale for this year’s Denair High team: There are just 16 players on the varsity roster.

There’s no getting around the impact of that fact. It changes how Armas and his coaching staff approach practices, it changes how physical the players can be during the week for fear of injury and it changes game strategy with so many required to play both offense and defense.

“The coaches knew when we came over what we were getting into,” said Armas, a Denair High graduate beginning his second year as head coach. “Having 16 guys is terrifying sometimes. We’re walking on eggshells. If someone starts limping in practice, I get nervous.”

Having acknowledged the tiny turnout, Armas remains upbeat about the upcoming season and the Coyotes’ chances to improve on last year’s 3-7 overall record. They begin Friday at home against Summerville. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Jack Lytton Stadium.

Denair more than held its own in Saturday’s scrimmage with Linden, Mountain House and Delhi.

“We did well against them all. Our execution was good for this point in the season,” said Armas, crediting that to the continuity of running the same offensive and defensive schemes for two years in a row. “The players are really understanding what we’re trying to do. We even had kids coming up to coaches suggesting which plays might work.”

Armas said his defense was “dialed in” and the offensive line matched up well against all three opponents. The only concern following the scrimmage was the health of junior tight end and linebacker Dylan Mann, who banged up his shoulder and may not be able to play Friday. Continue reading “Small But Mighty – That’s the Theme of the 2016 Denair High Football Team” »