Category Archives: News

DUSD and Stanislaus County Partner on Monte Vista Sidewalk

Posted on by

Stanislaus County Seal

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The Denair Unified School District and the Stanislaus County will collaborate on a project that will improve safety around the high school stadium as well as beautify the western entrance to town.

The plan is to replace a weedy area on the north side of Monte Vista Avenue with 640 feet a sidewalk and landscaping. The county will pay for the 5-foot sidewalk, which will connect with an existing walkway that now ends at the intersection of Lester Road and Monte Vista. The school district will be responsible for the installation and maintenance of 12 feet of landscaping between the new sidewalk and a chain-link fence.

Superintendent Aaron Rosander announced the good news at Thursday night’s school board meeting. Grading will begin in a few weeks and the project should be completed later this fall, he said.

Rosander credited county Supervisor Vito Chiesa and Public Works Director Matt Machado for their support and willingness to partner on the project. Members of the Denair Municipal Advisory Council also endorsed the new sidewalk.

The new walkway will provide a safer route to and from Jack Lytton Stadium, which hosts football games and other community events. The entrance on the west side of the stadium currently requires people who park toward the east to navigate the dirt and weeds on the north side of Monte Vista.

The upgrade also will improve people’s first impression of the community. Monte Vista curves and turns into Main Street at the intersection with Lester. A small triangle of grass includes a “Welcome to Denair” sign. Continue reading “DUSD and Stanislaus County Partner on Monte Vista Sidewalk” »

A Class Act! 10 Questions for Maria Olivas

Posted on by

MariaOlivas

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Name:  Maria S. Olivas

Family: Three children (Isaac, Gloria and Eva) and three grandchildren (Leonidas, Jordan and Emilia)

School: Denair High School

Subject taught: Spanish 1 – 4

Experience and education:  11 years teaching experience. Bachelor of science degree in business administration from San Francisco State University; teaching credential from CSU Stanislaus; master’s in education from Grand Canyon University.

Why most inspires you about teaching? Teaching students lifelong skills and waking their desire for knowledge.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? To motivate students who don’t seem to appreciate the value of education.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? Anything with technology.

How has Common Core affected your classroom strategy? Many of the Common Core concepts were already being applied in my classroom. Students are often expected to explain their answers. We do math when we do conversion to the metric system; we learn about history of the Spanish language and its influence on English. Some Common Core strategies that we are using more frequently are working with partners, pair-share activities and group discussions.

What do you want your students to remember? I want my students to remember that everything I did in the classroom, even though it seemed too demanding, was done with their best interest at heart.

How can parents support what you do? Parents can support my efforts by minimizing the number of student absences and by making sure their students bring their materials to class. Continue reading “A Class Act! 10 Questions for Maria Olivas” »

Turnovers Hurt Coyotes in Southern League Loss to Mariposa

Posted on by

DHS Coyotes Football

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Turnovers and injuries were too much for Denair High’s football team to overcome in a 47-13 loss to Mariposa on Friday night.

Mariposa returned two of the Coyotes’ five fumbles for touchdowns to help build a commanding early lead. Denair’s lack of depth also was exposed when a number of key two-way players were banged up and missed all or parts of the game. The Coyotes only have 22 players on their roster.

“The bottom line is you can’t win a football game when you turn the ball over four times,” said Denair coach Ted Howze.

The Coyotes (2-3) fell to 0-2 in the Southern League after winning two of their three non-league games.

“I felt like we moved the ball early, after they scored their first touchdown,” Howze said. “But then we fumbled on the 20 and they returned it 80 yards for a touchdown. The harder our kids pressed, the more mistakes they made.

“Injuries limited us and turnovers killed us.”

Running back Alex Valle lasted just four plays before reinjuring his ankle. Quarterbacks Dominyc Silva and Trenton Howze also missed time during the game after hard hits.

The Coyotes scored both their touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Silva found Brandon Steeley on a pass across the middle and Steeley outran the Mariposa defense to the end zone. A few minutes later, Silva intercepted a pass and returned it 13 yards for another score.

This week, Denair plays at Gustine (4-1 overall, 1-1 Southern League), which is coming off a 21-10 victory over Waterford. Continue reading “Turnovers Hurt Coyotes in Southern League Loss to Mariposa” »

Valley Air District Urges Residents to Reduce Driving

Posted on by

SJVLogo

Submitted by SJV Valley Air District

Valley Air District officials are urging residents to reduce driving and other emission-producing activities this week due to unseasonably high temperatures.  Although ozone numbers are not forecast to reach Air Alert levels, the high temperatures and stagnant conditions may lead to elevated ozone levels, unusual for this time of year.

Despite abnormally high temperatures and a string of wildfires, this year has proven to be another year of historically low ozone levels for the Valley.  In fact, this summer, the Valley set new records for having the longest stretch of consecutive days with no exceedances of the most stringent 8-hour standard (75 ppb) established by the federal government.

The Air District credits Valley businesses, farmers and residents for the significant progress the Valley has made in reducing ozone pollution.

“We were prepared to declare Air Alerts throughout the summer, especially after the start of the school year, to urge Valley residents to cut back on driving.  However, ozone levels never reached the trigger level necessary to declare an Air Alert,” said Seyed Sadredin, the District’s air pollution control officer and executive director.

If the trend continues, 2014 will be the second consecutive year during which the Valley has not had a violation of the 1-hour ozone standard.  This is the standard for which the Valley has been subject to the $29 million penalty under the federal Clean Air Act.  The Air District has already submitted a formal request to the California Air Resources Board and the federal EPA to revoke this penalty and is awaiting formal response to declare the Valley in attainment of this challenging standard. Continue reading “Valley Air District Urges Residents to Reduce Driving” »