Denair Campuses Have Big Plans to Mark Red Ribbon Week

Posted on by

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Next week is Red Ribbon Week at schools across the country. Red Ribbon Week 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.

The campuses in the Denair Unified School District have a number events planned starting Monday. All are being coordinated by staff as well as student members of the PHAST (Protecting Health and Slamming Tobacco) Clubs.

Denair High School

  • Monday: Crash scene. There will be a wrecked car on the grass near the student store unveiled about 8:40 a.m. The car will be an example of what can happen if people drink and drive, text and drive or are under the influence of drugs and drive. The car will be there all week as a reminder to students. A video was shared with students Friday to prepare them for what they will see Monday. During lunch, we will have games, music and prizes.
  • Tuesday: Drug dog demonstration, games, music and prizes.
  • Wednesday: California Highway Patrol presentation, games, music and prizes.
  • Thursday: Hollywood-themed photo booth, games, music and prizes.
  • Friday: Denair Fire Department presentation, games, music and prizes.

Denair Middle School

  • Monday: PJ Day. Students can wear pajamas to school. The theme is “Reach for Your Dreams, Don’t Let Drugs Get in Your Way.”
  • Tuesday: Celebrity Day. Students can dress up as their favorite celebrity. The theme is “Be Famous for Making the Right Choices.”
  • Wednesday: Twin/Pink Day. In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness and Red Ribbon Week, we will join together as twins and wear pink as much pink as possible. The theme is “Join Together Against Drugs.”
  • Thursday: Character Day. Students can dress up as their favorite character — sports hero, Disney character or cartoon character. “Show Your Character, Stand Up Against Drugs!”
  • Friday: Harvest Festival. Students in each grade will wear different colored clothes – sixth (orange), seventh (yellow) and eighth (white). The theme is “Harvest Your Best Qualities, Don’t Fall for Drugs.”

Denair Elementary Charter Academy

  • Monday: Students will show their Coyote spirit by wearing purple or any kind of DECA clothing. The theme is “These Paws Don’t Touch Drugs!”
  • Tuesday: Students will wear sports-related clothing. The theme is “Let’s Team Up Against Drugs!”
  • Wednesday: Youngsters are encouraged to dress up to match a friend. The theme is “Friends Don’t Let Friends do Drugs!”
  • Thursday: Students will wear crazy, mismatched socks and wild hair-dos. The theme is “We Are Crazy About Being Drug-Free!”
  • Friday: Students can wear pajamas to school. The theme is “Put Drugs to Sleep!”

Dracula of Transylvania Comes to Denair Gaslight Theater

Posted on by

Submitted by Denair Gaslight Community Conservatory

It’s that time of year for thrills and chills at the Denair Gaslight Theater! The Gaslight will bring the classic play, “Dracula of Transylvania,” to the stage for your Halloween enjoyment! This dramatization version of Dracula made its world premiere in 2013. It’s very exciting to be involved with this production as the family of Bram Stoker, the creator of Dracula, had direct collaboration on the screen play written by Christopher Cook.

“It’s October, the best month for a horror show!” stated Luke Gonzales, who plays Jonathan Harker. Luke returns to our stage after a fourteen year hiatus and is happy to be back.

Opening night is Friday, October 20, 2017, at 7:00! Show dates are October 20-21 and 27-28, at 7:00 pm. There will be a Sunday matinee on October 22, at 2:00 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

DCA Staff, Students Give Back to Community 
by Serving Food to Homeless at Turlock Shelter

Posted on by

Submitted by Denair Charter Academy

Denair Charter Academy Principal David Naranjo believes education is more than what can be learned through inspiring teachers, transformative programs, amazing online lessons or even well-written books. There is a human component that transcends traditional classrooms and involves helping mold teens into good citizens.

Wednesday night’s staff and student project feeding the homeless in Turlock was a perfect example.

School site counselor Sally Baker and teachers Jerrie Ogden, Greg Groll and Maureen Campos were joined by students Kyanna Roa, Tony Miranda, Ashley Pontillo and Karrin Weatherspoon at the We Care Program Turlock facility on Broadway Avenue.

Together, they served 55 meals to a group of homeless men. On the menu was chicken in cream sauce, pasta noodles, Caesar salad, rolls and milk. Dessert consisted of no bake cookies made by Ogden’s culinary students at DCA.

“They were super hungry,” said Baker. “They were very appreciative. They clapped for us.”

Dinner took about an hour to serve, but Naranjo hopes the life lessons will last much longer.

“The importance is for the students to have an impact on the lives of others in our society,” he said. “It’s noting a need in the community and utilizing their skills to make a difference. It’s understanding the commitment we have to each other.”

The project was part of DCA’s Love in Action Club, which includes eight students from the county’s premier independent study campus. Baker has been the advisor for the past few years.

Teachers reached into their own pockets to raise the $125 to buy the food. Others on staff donated supplies or their time to help.

“I’m very impressed with the generosity of our staff,” said Naranjo, in his first year as principal.

Previous student projects have included doing arts and crafts at various senior centers in the Turlock area or helping to bag and deliver groceries as part of the United Samaritans food program.

“We try to do something once a month,” Baker said.

The next event is next Thursday. The Love in Action Club will organize a small carnival for the kindergarten through eighth-grade home-school students who only spend one day on campus. There will be a photo book, face painting and prizes.

The carnival is part of the district’s celebration of Red Ribbon Week, a national campaign against drugs and unsafe behavior.

Tobacco Expert Delivers Powerful Message About Addiction

Posted on by

Submitted by Denair High School

Victor DeNoble’s story reads like something out of a spy novel. Hired by cigarette maker Phillip Morris in the early ’80s to find a heart-healthy replacement for nicotine, he soon discovered the lethal and powerfully addictive impacts of tobacco products via testing on rats.

Handcuffed by a confidential contract against sharing his knowledge, he eventually found a way to blow the whistle on the industry and testify before Congress, shattering decades of silence about one of the world’s leading killers.

Beyond all the cloak-and-dagger details DeNoble shared Monday to Denair High School students was one all-important fact: Despite the sweeping changes in people’s perceptions and knowledge about tobacco, it’s still as dangerous as ever.

Worse yet, the industry – knowing long-term users are those most likely to die from their habit – appears to be using electronic cigarettes and vaping to target and ever younger demographic who aren’t as aware of the risks.

“There are literally thousands of flavors,” the fast-talking DeNoble told the attentive students. “And nicotine level has been lowered so they don’t have to report it. But the danger is real.”

DeNoble makes 350 to 400 appearances a year before students of all ages as well as other groups. He came to Denair on the invitation of the 25-member PHAST (Protecting Health and Slamming Tobacco) Club. Earlier Monday, he was at Beyer High School in Modesto

He punctuates his presentations with photos of the rats he tested three decades, colorful charts and graphs, and multiple props – including two human brains he says were permanently altered because by nicotine addiction.

It takes only weeks and months for users to become addicted, DeNoble said, but five to 10 years or more for most people to overcome their craving. Continue reading “Tobacco Expert Delivers Powerful Message About Addiction” »

Unbeaten Orestimba Too Much for Gritty Coyotes

Posted on by

Submitted by Denair High School

Bigger, stronger, faster. It’s a theme consistently repeated for most of the past month as a young Denair High football team tries to compete against larger, more experienced rosters in the Southern League.

Friday night’s 58-20 home loss to unbeaten Orestimba was more of the same. The Coyotes showed flashes of potential and crisp execution, only to be undone by a blown assignment or other costly mistake.

“Our effort is not the problem,” said Coach Anthony Armas. “Our defense will shut someone down for two of three plays, then give up a big play. We’re just not consistent.”

Orestimba is the defending Southern League champion. Its senior-laden roster is full of players who have the confidence that comes with that success. Still, scrappy Denair went toe-to-toe with the Warriors in the first quarter Friday, which ended in a scoreless tie and included a blocked punt by the Coyotes’ Scott Badal.

But Orestimba (7-0 overall, 4-0 in league) quickly took control in the second period, scoring three touchdowns while controlling Denair’s offense.

“They really took the run away, which is what we want to do,” Armas said. “They were bringing a lot of heat. They had a big linebacker and some long guys on the edge who gave us some issues. They basically dared us to pass and that’s not our offense.”

That defensive pressure led to an Orestimba safety late in the quarter, giving the Warriors a 23-0 lead. But Orestimba muffed the ensuing Denair punt and Blake Davis recovered for the Coyotes (2-5, 1-3). A few plays later, quarterback Drew Pritchard escaped the rush and found Davis with a pretty 26-yard touchdown pass.

But Orestimba scored three more times in the third quarter and twice in the fourth to blow the game open and force a running clock.

The lone second-half highlights for Denair were two long kickoff returns for touchdowns by Hunter Musgrave – one for 88 yards and the other for 80 on the final play of the game

Junior varsity game: Orestimba shut out Denair 12-0. The Coyotes fell to 1-2 in league play and 2-3 overall.

This week: The Coyotes take to the road Friday to square off with rival Delhi (2-5, 0-4). “This is always a knockdown, drag-out fight,” Armas said. “They’ll stick a bunch of people in the box and dare us to throw it, just like everyone else. … They’re in about the same situation as us when it comes to numbers, but they’re our biggest rival so that doesn’t really mean much.”