“Music makes us happy and helps us process our emotions,” says Laura Bishop, the new Beginning Music and Choir instructor for grades K-5 at Denair Elementary Charter Academy. “When I was in high school, I ditched piano lessons. I just thought, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore.’ I had other priorities. Now, I am so grateful I took piano for six years. I can play and it brings me so much joy.”

Bishop is looking forward to bringing that same level of joy and sense of accomplishment to DECA students during the 2025-26 school year.

Here are a few things you likely didn’t know about one of Denair’s newest instructors:

Family – I have two children: Aiden, who is 16 years old and a junior-to-be at Turlock High, and Leila, who is 13 and an eighth-grader-to-be at Dutcher Middle School. 

Educational background – I attended Bella Vista High School in Roseville (class of 1998), and I have a bachelor’s degree in child development from CSU Sacramento. This fall I will be working on my music teaching credential.

Grades taught – I will be teaching Beginning Music and Choir for grades K-5

What drew you to DUSD? – I like the close-knit community of DECA.

What most inspires you about teaching? – I love seeing my students get excited when they have mastered a new challenge, and I’m particularly excited about teaching music, because you get to see them progress from beginners to confident performers, composers or creators.

What challenge do you look forward to tackling this year? – I look forward to creating a children’s choir from scratch, and watching the children perform for their families and friends.

What is a favorite teaching tool or activity? – I plan to have a karaoke system in my classroom, and I have a feeling that Karaoke Fridays might become a big hit!

What do you want your students to remember? – I want my students to remember how much fun we had making music together and the happy memories that songs from our music class will bring them.

How can parents support what you do? – Parents can support what I do in the classroom by attending their children’s performances.

What is something that would surprise others about your job? – One of the things that has surprised me the most in my teaching career is the unexpected lifelong impact I’ve had on my students. One of my preschool student’s parents contacted me 15 years later to tell me that her son was the only teenager she knew that loved Norah Jones’ music. I would play it in my classroom each morning, and because of that, he studied piano, guitar, and became a lead worship singer in their church.

What do you do for fun? – When I am not working, I love spending time with my kids, relaxing in our back yard, cooking, traveling, attending musicals and all of their sporting events.

competition, with more than two dozen FFA students taking part in the annual event.

“I was definitely pleased with the overall performance,” said Roger Christianson, who serves as FFA advisor along with Melinda Rohn and Christian Obando. “The students’ overall work ethic, and that being reflected in awards, was great to see because we’re going against larger schools – Modesto, Turlock, Ceres – and winning awards against schools like that.”

“I believe the fair was super successful this year,” added Obando.

Here’s a recap of how Denair students fared at the 10-day event.

Beef:

• Incoming senior McKinley Binkley placed fourth in market (steer) and took first in her class for showmanship, advancing to the final drive where she placed sixth overall in the novice showmanship class.
• Incoming senior Salvador Virgen took third in market (steer).
• Incoming senior Mairany Rojas placed third in market (heifer).

Goats:

• Incoming freshman Kylie Hensley placed second in her market class, advancing to the next drive, but did not place. Kylie also took first in showmanship and advanced to the final drive, where she placed fifth overall in the novice showmanship class.
• Incoming sophomore Ryan Rohn Jr. placed fourth in market, first in his showmanship class, and advanced to the final drive where he placed eighth overall in the advanced showmanship class.
• 2025 DHS graduate Ana Rentería placed eighth in market and first in her showmanship class; she advanced to the final drive where she placed sixth overall in the novice showmanship class.
• Incoming senior Hailey James placed 13th in market and second in her showmanship class, advancing to the final drive where she placed third overall in the novice showmanship class.
• Incoming freshman Kijhona Maciel placed fourth in market.
• Incoming freshman Brody Stallings placed sixth in market.
• Incoming sophomore Sophia Virgen placed seventh in market.
• Incoming sophomore Emery Miranda placed eighth in market.
• Incoming junior Aaliyah Rodriguez placed eighth in market.
• Incoming senior Bryson Davis placed ninth in market.
• Incoming freshman Camryn Davis did not participate in market but performed well in showmanship.

Sheep:

• Incoming sophomore Anthony Zavala placed second in class and advanced to breed finals.
• Incoming junior Tiffany Mancilla placed second in class and advanced to breed finals.
• Incoming sophomore Arlene Gonzalez placed third in class.
• 2025 graduate Dakota Richards placed third in class.
• Incoming sophomore McKenzie Binkley placed fifth in class.

Swine:

• Incoming sophomore Rin Rice placed fourth in market class.
• Incoming senior Jason Araujo placed fourth in market class.
• Incoming senior Chace Butler got seventh in market class.
• Incoming senior Aaliyah Zacarias got eighth in market class.
• 2025 graduate ZAC Christianson took ninth in market class.

Miscellaneous

• Incoming freshman Jaydah Rodriguez, in the horticulture competition, received one first-place ribbon, three second-place ribbons, a one for third place for the vegetables she grew at the FFA farm.
• Zac Christianson showed LEGO exhibits and placed first for both of his entries – one was a pirate ship, and the other was a llama.

Sunday awards:

• Makenzie Miguel was named Outstanding Exhibitor for sheep and dogs. As a dog exhibitor, she took first place in advanced showmanship, and third place in true novice obedience. As a sheep exhibitor, she had the champion yearling ram, taking first place in both ram classes, while her ewes took second, third, and fourth place in class. She also took third place for a pair of ewe lambs, second place for young flock, and first place for get of sire. Miguel also received the award for small-animal master showmanship, which qualifies her to compete at the 2026 state fair.
• ZAC Christianson received a Merit Award for swine
• Denair FFA’s goat and sheep exhibitors received Clean Barn awards

“A lot of kids don’t realize how big a role ag plays in our area,” said Christianson, who pointed out that Denair FFA will be adding a sixth-grade program this coming school year. “It’s something of a shock to them when they first join the program. We try to foster an appreciation through our annual Ag Day and in our classes, teaching the students how important agriculture is to our community.”

Also competing for Denair FFA were Addyson Ramos and Carson Lee in the Novice Market Rabbits division, along with ZAC Christianson and Cloey Ellerd in the Advanced Market Rabbits category.

“All the students worked incredibly hard this season, learning new skills in showmanship, memorizing over 150 judging questions, and practicing daily with their meat-market rabbits,” said co-advisor Melinda Rohn. “It’s truly impressive how much they accomplished in just 30 days of working with their animals. I’m proud of each and every one of them.”

Some take part in the Denair Unified School District’s Summer Food Program because groceries are expensive, and putting nutritious meals on the table can often be difficult. Others take part simply because it’s a way to enjoy a nice meal outdoors in pleasant weather.

Whatever the reason, folks in Denair will be able to benefit from the program for another three weeks.

According to Kim Fuentez, the district’s food services manager who oversees the program, all DUSD students still can look forward to three nutritious meals per day through July 25. Breakfast is served from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at Denair Middle School; lunch is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at DMS; and supper is served at Denair High School from 4 to 6 p.m. – Monday through Friday.

Earlier this summer, an average of nearly 600 meals were served each day, according to Fuentez. And, thanks to a $25,000 grant from Legacy Health Endowment, that total includes not only students but adults, as well – at no added expense to local taxpayers.

“The majority of the people we feed are associated with the school,” said Fuentez, who has a food-service background as a cook in the U.S. Marine Corps. “In the summertime, we feed the kids. And in the past, Mom or Dad or Grandma had to pay for their meal. This year, because of the grant provided by Legacy Health, those adult meals are covered.”

And whether it’s tri-tip, roasted chicken, spaghetti or submarine sandwiches … there’s something for every appetite.

Candida Baldwin, a member of the food service team at DUSD, got her start in the industry catering minor league baseball games at Modesto’s John Thurman Field. She’s glad to see that non-profit funding has made it possible to include adults.

“It’s nice this year to be able to see the parents coming in,” said Baldwin. “I wish we could feed even more.”

Typically, after summer school has concluded, the average number of meals served tends to wane considerably during July. That’s not been the case this summer.

“We haven’t had the same kind of drop-off this year,” said Fuentez. “Families are still coming out to eat, and I’m really thankful that we have the ability to feed them.”

Jeffrey Lewis, president and CEO of Legacy Health Endowment, praised DUSD’s food services team for their efforts.

“The food services team at Denair Unified is one of the finest groups of people that I’ve ever met,” said Lewis. “The dedication to students, families, and community is unparalleled. It is an honor to work with them and learn from them.”

And, Lewis has learned much this summer. 

“The LHE grant, which covers 100 percent of the cost for adult meals, was created to gather a better understanding of the impacts of food insecurity on adults,” said Lewis. “Our objective with this funding was to validate the fact that food insecurity is a family challenge and not just one that faces children.”

The Denair Lions Club has made many important contributions to the community over the decades. Quite a few of its high-profile projects have benefited the Denair Unified School District, the latest one being the installation of a new scoreboard at the high school baseball field earlier this year.

The updated scoreboard – which sits behind the fence in left-center field  — was a big hit with Denair’s players and fans this past season. It’s much bigger than the old one it replaced and shows each team’s score by innings in addition to overall hits, runs and errors. It also has a decorative truss with a big baseball framed with the words “Denair Coyotes” that was fabricated by the Lions Club.

On the back of the scoreboard is a sign that says “Welcome to Ron W. Cornell Baseball Park,” which honors the man who coached the Coyotes from 1972 to 2009.

The Lions Club spent more than $12,000 on materials and labor for the project, with the Denair High Boosters Club contributing $5,000.

Installation was completed in one day. Past Lions President and current board member Jeremy Rowell led the project, with assistance from some of his employees at Acme Electric in Turlock as well as other Lions Club members.

“We were approached by the school district last year to see if we could help,” Rowell said. “We were happy to do it.”

Anthony Armas, the high school’s athletic director, said the ongoing support of the Lions Club “is huge.”

“The Denair Lions Club has always contributed to our community in a big way,” he said. “They’ve contributed to so many things in our athletic department throughout the years that it’s hard to keep count. From stadium renovations to scoreboards to barbecues and everything in between — their support is crucial to not only our high school, but to the community as a whole.”

Rowell appreciates the kind words from Armas and other school officials, students and longtime Denair boosters, but said that’s not what inspires the 35 or so Lions members. 

“We don’t like a ton of recognition,” he said. “We just try to help the community.”

The Lions are not yet done at Ron Cornell Field, Rowell said. They are looking to upgrade the irrigation system for all the baseball fields at the high school.

In July, they will hold an event to raise more money for ongoing renovations at the Denair Gaslight Theater, where they already have made more than $120,000 worth of upgrades through the years.

Conservative and cautious. Those are the words the top two officials in the Denair Unified School District used to describe the proposed 2025-26 budget. The $22.6 million spending plan discussed Thursday night by trustees represents a $1.8 million increase over the current year.

“While the district is in a better position than last year, financial pressures remain,” said Daisy Swearingen, Denair’s chief business officer. “For example, the district is facing a projected 30% increase in property and liability insurance premiums next year, with early estimates showing a 41% increase in liability and a 31% increase in property coverage. These pressures — along with uncertainty in state funding and declining enrollment trends statewide — make planning especially complex.”

Swearingen called next year’s budget proposal “cautious,” though she voiced hope that the potential restoration of previously reduced state funding, and along with new proposed funding, could help offset costs related to critical needs such as Chromebook refresh, curriculum updates, tutoring, mental health services, and professional development for teachers and staff.

Superintendent Terry Metzger agreed, saying, “We budget and spend conservatively.”

“Our budget is a reflection of the priorities of the board and our stakeholders,” she added.

As in the past, Swearingen told trustees that salaries and benefits make up the largest portion of expenditures, constituting approximately 89% of the district’s unrestricted budget and about 82% of the total general fund budget. 

Thursday night was the required public hearing for the proposed budget; no action was taken. That will happen June 12 when trustees are expected to vote on it. All school districts in the state must pass their budgets before the 2025-26 fiscal year begins July 1.

The board also conducted one more public hearing Thursday night, this one on the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), a three-year strategy that lays out how state, federal and other money will be used to serve students at the district’s four campuses. LCAPs are developed in conjunction with staff and input from the community gathered over multiple meetings.

Denair’s LCAP has three distinct goals, all with multiple actions to implement:

• Students will demonstrate skills that contribute to post-secondary success in the areas of technology, academics, social-emotional wellbeing, and life skills.
• By the end of the 2026-27 school year, an additional 20% of students will demonstrate, through local and state measures, authentic literacy (reading, writing and speaking) in all content areas, with an emphasis on math literacy (numeracy).
• 100% of Denair schools will be safe and positive school campuses, where all students can be successful.

“Our stakeholders told us to stay focused and steady,” Metzger said. “We have been making incremental growth toward our goals. There is good evidence that our actions are working. For example, we’ve been able to reduce chronic absenteeism and increase student achievement in English language arts and math through our multi-tiered systems of support.”

The superintendent also said voter approval last fall of Measure Z – a $32.4 million bond initiative — will allow the district to immediately upgrade its campus security environment.

“We’re now able to continue projects that make our campuses safer,” Metzger explained, pointing to security cameras, additional fencing and the redesign of the elementary campus and Denair Charter Academy next door to be single-point entry schools.

In other action Thursday, trustees:

• Trustees approved an agreement with the California School Employees Association (CSEA) on June 12, which includes a one-time payment equal to 4.5% of each employee’s annual base pay. That same one-time payment was also extended to unrepresented groups, including confidential, management, and administrative employees. The arrangement mirrors the agreement approved earlier this spring for certificated (teaching) staff.
• Listened as mental health clinician Lina Mateus reviewed data from 2024-25, highlighting strengths, areas of surprise or concern, success stories, and plans to address identified concerns for the upcoming year.
• Heard a report from the district’s principals about the iReady spring testing results.
• Approved a contract worth $107,289 with the Stanislaus County Office of Education for it to provide various services to the district, including teacher training and professional support, special education, health, technology and learning services, substitute teachers and graphics.