Denair Lions and Gaslight Theater Host Annual Christmas Tree Lighting

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Submitted by Denair Lions Club

The Denair Lions Club and the Denair Gaslight Theater will be hosting the second annual Christmas tree lighting in front of the theater, on Gratton Road, this Saturday, December 2, beginning at 6:00 pm. Tell your friends and neighbors to bring the entire family as Santa Claus will be there to meet with the children and take pictures. There will be a Christmas movie following the ceremony for the family to enjoy inside the theater. The Denair Fire Department will be on hand collecting new unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots this year. All toys collected will be distributed to children in Denair. Donations will always be gladly accepted and will benefit the restoration of the Gaslight Theater building. Hot chocolate, coffee and snacks will be available.

The official lighting will be at 6:30 pm sharp! Come early to enjoy the festivities and community fellowship.

Tis the Season to Laugh at the Denair Gaslight Theater

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Submitted by Denair Gaslight Community Conservatory

Tis the season to laugh at the Denair Gaslight Theater. The Gaslight will bring the 1980’s holiday classic A Christmas Story to the stage. Based on humorist Jean Shepherd’s memoir of growing up in the midwest in the 1940s the production follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB gun under the tree for Christmas. Ralphie pleads his case before his mother, his teacher and even Santa Claus himself, at Higbee’s Department Store. The consistent response: “You’ll shoot your eye out!” All the elements from the beloved motion picture are here, including the family’s temperamental exploding furnace; Scut Farkas, the school bully; Flick’s experiment with a wet tongue on a cold lamppost; the Little Orphan Annie decoder pin; the major award lamp shaped like a woman’s leg in a net stocking; and Ralphie’s fantasy scenarios and more.

Resident Director Joshua Morriston and a host of local actors, both youth and adult, promise A Christmas Story is bound to entertain audiences young and old. Doors open at 6:15 pm so you can enjoy Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, and warm cider.

Opening night is Friday December 8, 2017, at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available online at www.showtix4u.com and at the door. General admission is $10, seniors and students are $8. For questions, please call (209) 664-9514

Denair High Earns County Recognition for Red Ribbon Week

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Submitted by Denair High School

Denair High School was awarded second place among all high schools in Stanislaus County for its enthusiastic and persuasive programs associated with Red Ribbon Week on Oct. 23-27.

High school, middle school and elementary campuses were evaluated by officials from the county Office of Education, who made site visits. They used a point system that factored in student, staff and parental involvement as well as decorations and signs associated with Red Ribbon events.

Schools across the country celebrate Red Ribbon Week, which began in 1980 as a way to discourage drug use among children while promoting healthy behaviors. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan was one of the original proponents.

At Denair High, student members of the PHAST (Protecting Health and Slamming Tobacco) Club worked with staff advisor Melissa Treadwell to orchestrate an informative and fun series of events.

On Monday the 23rd, students arrived on campus to see the wreckage from a car accident. The scene was a sobering example of what can happen if people drink and drive, text and drive or are under the influence of drugs and drive. A video was shown to students the previous Friday introducing the topic.

The rest of the week included a drug dog demonstration, a presentation from Denair Fire Department, and plenty of music, games and prizes supporting the message. The California Highway Patrol used goggles worn by students sitting behind the wheel of a car that simulated what it was like to be drunk and try to drive.

“The kids did a great job coordinating everything,” Treadwell said.

Denair Principal Kara Backman said Red Ribbon Week is an important part of preparing teens for the future and teaching them to make good choices.

“We believe in providing opportunities for students through academic rigor and extracurricular activities,” she said. “We believe that awareness and grit help guide students emotional maturity toward a successful college and career path.”

Treadwell and five Denair PHAST Club members will be honored at a ceremony Dec. 12 at the county schools office in Modesto. Hughson finished first among high schools.

Denair Freshman Wins Section Cross Country Title

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Submitted by Denair High School

Denair’s Pablo Flores won the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V cross country championship on Saturday and his teammate Julian Zavala finished third.

Flores covered the 2.1-mile course at Willow Hills Reservoir in 14 minutes, 3 seconds while Zavala was clocked in 14:50.

Denair sophomore Johnny Ibarra was 11th overall in his race, finishing the dirt and gravel course next to Folsom High School in 14:58.

Coyote head coach Matthew Groom said he was proud of all his runners.

“We had a great team this year,” he said. “Their attitudes were great and I am pleased with the effort they put out.  My next goal is to qualify a varsity runner for the Section meet. … I also want to thank (senior) Alex Flores for being the team captain over the past two years.  He showed tremendous leadership and everyone on the team looked up to him.”

Groom said Pablo Flores and Zavala have discussed possibly playing football next fall instead of running cross country. If they return, they and Ibarra likely will form the backbone of what could be a strong team in the Southern League.

He said Flores and Zavala could run varsity races in league and still be able to compete as sophomores in the invitational and Section meets, improving their chances of strong individual finishes.

The top varsity teams and individual qualifiers from the Section meet advance to the state championships in Fresno on Nov. 25.