Submitted by Denair High School:

Alondra Sandoval and Reyna Villa are the Denair High School Class of 2019 valedictorians thanks to their 4.18 grade-point averages. The salutatorian will be Rachel Gomes, who compiled a 4.08 GPA in her four years.

The graduation ceremony will be Friday, May 24 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Jack Lytton Stadium. Gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets are not required.

After students receive their diplomas, there will be a Sober Grad Night party in the gym.

Sandoval, Villa and Gomes recently took time to answer 10 questions about their high school experiences.

Question: What are the key things other students should know about your academic success and how you achieved it?

Sandoval: All it takes is motivation. No matter how much work it is, just keep pushing.

Villa: My academic success was not easy to achieve. There were countless nights where I had to stay up late in order to finish my work. School became my priority and there were even times where I wouldn’t get out of my room at all because I would be studying or doing homework. I have succeeded academically because I have put the time and effort into my work. Nothing came easy for me.

Gomes: I achieved academic success through a lot of time and patience and hard work. 

Finals may be looming and graduation is just around the corner, but it still has been a busy time for a number of Denair athletes. Here is a quick recap of what has happened in the past week:

Track & Field

Steffin Winston was the only one of 15 Coyotes competing at last week’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division V Meet in Stockton to qualify for this week’s Masters Meet in Davis.

Winston, a senior, won the triple jump with a leap of 46 feet, 5½ inches – setting a school record and obliterating his personal best of 44-11 established just the week before. The 46-5½ is the second-best mark in the 200-school Sac-Joaquin Section this spring, positioning Winston as one of the favorites this week.

“If all goes well, he’ll do well,” praised Denair Coach Jim Wagner. “He’s continued to get better this entire season, but that 46-5½ still was surprising. He’s been consistently pushing himself and hitting his marks.”

Winston also is one of the Section’s top long jumpers, but chose to go on his Senior Trip to Disneyland last week rather than compete in that event.

Submitted by Denair Unified School District:

Six seniors at Denair High School have earned prestigious recognition for their bilingual speaking and writing abilities.

Andres Jimenez, Analdo Moreno, Reyna Villa, Jennifer Ramos, Yuritzy Perez and Alondra Sandoval were among nearly 300 Stanislaus County students recognized during a ceremony May 7 at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto.

Sandoval also earned a special honor as one of three keynote student speakers at the event.

All six of the Denair students plan to attend college after graduation next week. The coveted Seal of Multilingual Proficiency will be specially noted on their high school diplomas, certifying that they are fluent in English as well as Spanish. It is a positive sign when they apply to colleges, compete for scholarships or submit job applications.

Submitted by Denair Unified School District:

A slight uptick in attendance rates could mean more money in the paychecks of Denair Unified School District employees.

Denair’s four schools traditionally have enjoyed attendance rates well above 90%. Still, district officials decided earlier this year to put increased emphasis on students coming to class.

They rolled out a campaign called “It’s Not the Same Without You … You Matter,” using social media and various attendance-based campus incentives to motivate students.

The goal was as much pragmatic as financial: Students who are in class more often are connected to school and perform better academically.

Across the district, attendance rates rose from 0.5% at Denair Elementary Charter Academy to 1.5% at Denair High School, compared with the same time last year.

Submitted by Denair High School:

JT Smith knew exactly what the situation was as he took the mound in the top of the seventh inning Friday. He was three outs from a perfect game.

Not a single Delhi batter had reached base against the Denair senior. Most, in fact, hadn’t even put the ball in play. Smith had struck out 17 of the first 18 hitters he faced.

His Coyote teammates, meanwhile, had methodically built a 9-0 lead at Ron Cornell Field, so the outcome wasn’t in doubt.

The only question was whether Smith could compose himself and record three more outs without allowing a baserunner.

“I knew the game was going by pretty quick,” said Smith. “I asked someone when we were up what inning it was. They said it was going to be the seventh. No one wanted to say anything.

“When I went out to the mound, I saw my mom in the stands. My dad went down the outfield line. I was nervous, I admit it. It was pretty intense.”

Facing the top of the Delhi lineup for the third time, Smith relied on his overpowering fastball to quickly strike out the first hitter.