Category Archives: News

Coyotes’ Defense Dominates with 7 Interceptions, 2 Fumble Recoveries in Second Straight Shutout

Posted on by

DHS Coyotes Football

Submitted by Denair High School

This year’s Denair football team is unconventional in many ways – in its toughness despite often being physically outmatched, in its versatility because there are so few players and in its ability to make a big play that shifts the momentum in its favor.

All those characteristics were in evidence in the Coyotes’ 32-0 Southern League victory over Ripon Christian on Friday night at Jack Lytton Stadium.

Denair posted its second straight shutout despite never once forcing the Knights to punt. Instead, the Coyotes’ opportunistic, bend-but-don’t-break defense took the ball away time and again – intercepting an incredible seven passes while also recovering two fumbles.

Ripon Christian’s turnovers allowed the Coyotes to turn a taut 6-0 game at halftime into a blowout by early in the fourth quarter. Denair (2-1 in the SL, 4-2 overall) stretched its scoreless streak on defense to nine quarters. It hasn’t given up a point since the third quarter against Gustine on Sept. 23.

“We thought about the shutout during the game,” acknowledged Denair coach Anthony Armas. “It’s a big deal. When the game was over, we thought, ‘Holy cow, we shut them out again.’ ”

Three of the Coyotes’ seven interceptions were made by do-it-all senior cornerback Brendan Curnow, who returned his third pick 21 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown that capped the scoring. As the fullback on offense, he also ran for 124 yards on 20 carries.

Curnow’s latest heroics were nothing new. In the previous game – a 50-0 demolition of Le Grand – he scored six TDs. For the season, he now has 13 touchdowns in six games.

“He’s one of those kids who doesn’t make the same mistake twice,” Armas complimented. “He runs the ball really hard and he’s very physical on defense. Mentally, he’s a smart kid. I think that this year his body caught up with his mental acuity. He’s a little taller, a little thicker.”

One of the critical sequences against Ripon Christian (1-2, 2-4) came to start the second half. Denair committed its only turnover of the night, fumbling the kickoff and setting up the Knights deep in Denair territory. But the Coyotes’ defense stiffened and stopped R.C. on four plays inside the 10-yard line. Continue reading “Coyotes’ Defense Dominates with 7 Interceptions, 2 Fumble Recoveries in Second Straight Shutout” »

Class Act! 10 questions for Tanya Rock

Posted on by

tanya-rock

Submitted by Denair Middle School

Name: Tanya Rock

Family: Husband, Nick; son, Sean (9); daughter, Brianna (7)

School: Denair Middle School

Subject taught: Math

Experience and education: After earning my degree and teaching credential at CSU Stanislaus, I began teaching math at Prescott Junior High.  After four years of teaching, I made the decision to be a stay-at-home mom for a while.  When both of my children were old enough to be in school, I began working part time as a substitute teacher at their school.  This is my first year back to teaching full time.

Why most inspires you about teaching? The students.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? I’d have to say that my biggest challenge is meeting the students’ needs on the various levels that they are on in the time constraint of 50 minutes per day.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity?  I find whiteboards to be especially helpful in math.  They allow students to practice problems and work out ideas while allowing me to quickly assess how each student is doing.

How has Common Core affected your classroom strategy? I’ve found it to be more effective to guide the students to discoveries in learning rather than to just tell them things directly at times.

What do you want your students to remember? Math may not always seem easy at first, but everyone has his own way of learning, and with patience and perseverance everyone can be successful.

How can parents support what you do? I would say that the greatest support that parents can give is to spend time with their child and to communicate with both their child and with me.

What will it take to improve academic success in DUSD schools? I am new to the district, so I am unsure of this answer! Continue reading “Class Act! 10 questions for Tanya Rock” »

Denair Unified Trustees Approve 2.37% Bonuses for Teachers

Posted on by

DUSD Logo

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The road to financial recovery took a satisfying turn at Thursday night’s special meeting of the Denair Unified School District board. Trustees approved a 2.37% bonus for all teachers who were on staff in 2015-16, the first step toward restoring painful salary cuts enacted three years ago.

The one-time payment matches bonuses given to classified staff earlier this year.

Thursday’s unanimous decision affects the 65 teachers and school counselors who worked in the district last year – including those who retired or took jobs in other districts this year. The bonuses will be distributed this month and will cost the district $110,861 – money board members and Superintendent Aaron Rosander were delighted to share.

“We owe a big debt of gratitude to all our employees,” Rosander said. “They’ve all been working hard to reposition and recast our district in our community. And it’s working. Now we’re gaining more people because our programs are powerful. And I think the best is yet to come. You can see that we’ve turned the corner.”

When Rosander arrived in February 2014, the district and its employees were reeling from a one-two financial punch of declining enrollment and reduced state funding. Salaries for classified staff were slashed 12%; pay for teachers and administrators was cut 8%. Some employees were laid off.

Enrollment, which peaked at about 1,600 students in 2008, had been steadily eroding and bottomed out at 1,294 children in 2014-15.

“Declining enrollment will bring you to your knees. It will choke you,” Rosander said Thursday night. “The budget gets tighter and tighter. That was the piece that was really vexing to our district.”

Rosander and Chief Business Officer Linda Covello initiated a financial recovery program that maximized the use of so-called “restricted” funds to pay for people, programs and equipment while reducing the burden on the general fund. The district’s food program was revamped, turning a $100,000 drain on the budget into a money-maker. Rosander said “powerful interventions” lowered how many students were assigned to special education programs that are required by the state but not fully funded. Continue reading “Denair Unified Trustees Approve 2.37% Bonuses for Teachers” »

Curnow Scores 6 TDs as Denair Crushes Le Grand 50-0

Posted on by

DHS Coyotes Football

Submitted by Denair High School

Brendan Curnow’s six touchdowns Friday night in a 50-0 demolition of Le Grand may or may not have set a school record. When you’ve been playing football since 1946 – as Denair High has – there is a lot of history to chronicle, though not all of it is written down. For sure, Curnow’s performance is one of the best any Coyote has ever had.

And still that may not have been the most interesting takeaway from a game that Denair dominated from start to finish.

The fact is the Coyotes suited up just 13 players – and then had Jarred Carbajal go down with a dislocated left shoulder on the opening kickoff. It takes 11 players to field a team, meaning Denair played the rest of the game with only one reserve. There were many more coaches on the sideline than extra players.

“Every time we had a hard hit, I kind of freaked out until everyone got up,” admitted head coach Anthony Armas.

He said his coaching staff had 30 seconds before the first offensive series to “teach” Justin Gomes how to play tight end to replace Carbajal, who already was subbing for the injured Dylan Mann.

Low on bodies, the Coyotes nonetheless imposed their will on Le Grand, racing to a 26-0 halftime lead behind running backs Curnow, Justin Steeley and Chase Pritt, who shredded the beleaguered Bulldogs’ defense.

Steeley opened the onslaught with a 74-yard run – the first of eight touchdowns the Coyotes would score. Curnow took over from there. The senior back scored on runs of 25, 53, 35, 41 and 25 yards again, and then took a screen pass from Kyle Prock 80 yards for another TD to cap a memorable night. Continue reading “Curnow Scores 6 TDs as Denair Crushes Le Grand 50-0” »

Denair Students Can Reap the Rewards of Positive Behavior

Posted on by

PAWS - Obed Gonzalez

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Most students appreciate it when teachers and others compliment their behavior, whether that’s quietly completing an assignment in class, showing respect for others or even helping to clean up the campus by picking up litter at lunchtime.

But back up those positive verbal strokes with a tangible reward and watch those many of those same students ramp up their good behavior.

That’s the thrust behind a new effort launched this year at two campuses in the Denair Unified School District. It’s called Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, and it’s intended to enhance student success and reduce discipline problems by proactively focusing schoolwide attention on what children are doing right.

Teachers and staff at Denair Middle School and Denair Elementary Charter Academy spent much of the 2015-16 school year identifying the standards that would be expected of every student on their campuses. Employees went through extensive training, in part to ensure consistency in what behaviors would be recognized and rewarded.

“Each school will be different because each builds their program from the ground up,” said DMS Principal Kelly Beard.

At DMS, that evolved into what is called PAWS – an acronym that reflects youngsters who have a “positive” attitude, “act” responsibly, make “wise” decisions and “show respect.” PAWS print coupons are handed out by all staff members when they see students displaying those traits. When students collect at least five PAWS prints, they can redeem them for a range of prizes of different values – pencils, notebooks, extensions on homework assignments, passes on PE warmup laps, lunch with teachers. The big reward – worth 35 PAWS prints — is a half-hour with a friend in the “VIP room” playing video games, ping pong, foosball, indoor basketball and other games. Continue reading “Denair Students Can Reap the Rewards of Positive Behavior” »