About 100 Enthusiastic Residents Celebrate Denair Night at Modesto Nuts Baseball Game

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Submitted by Denair Charter Academy

It was Denair Night on Friday at the Modesto Nuts baseball game and about 100 hearty Denair residents and students braved a cold, windy night to support their community.

Denair Unified Superintendent Aaron Rosander threw out the honorary first pitch — a strike to home plate — as the crowd cheered.

The event was the brainchild of Brian LaFountain, the principal at Denair Charter Academy and, for the next month, at Denair Middle School. Special tickets were sold for $7. The money raised will help offset a portion of the cost of the first-ever DCA graduation trip May 18-19 at Magic Mountain.

Beard Takes Over as Denair Elementary Principal; LaFountain Temporarily Moves to Middle School Campus

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Kelly Beard, who began this school year as the first-time principal at Denair Middle School, will finish out the year as principal at Denair Elementary Charter Academy.

Beard spent 13 years as a first-grade teacher on the elementary campus before moving into an administrative role last summer. She replaces Lucy Zamora, who resigned to care for a family member facing a health crisis.

Beard’s appointment is permanent, Denair Unified Superintendent Aaron Rosander said Friday afternoon after a joint meeting with the staffs from the elementary and middle schools.

“We wish Ms. Zamora the very best as she navigates the challenges ahead,” Rosander said.

Brian LaFountain, the principal at Denair Charter Academy, will temporarily fill Beard’s position at the middle school for the final month of classes. Recruitment to hire a full-time principal already has begun, Rosander said. He hopes to have a new leader hired by early June.

“DMS is sure to be in good administrative hands for the remainder of the school year,” Rosander said. “Mr. LaFountain will return to DCA for the 2017/18 school year.”

Beard takes over a DECA campus that, along with the independent study program at DCA, has fueled the district’s enrollment growth the past two years. Part of the appeal to parents at DECA has been the addition of a dual immersion language program in which students are taught in English and Spanish. Each year, another grade level is added. The first students will be in second grade next fall.

The charter school also features traditional classes for kindergartners through fifth-graders. All students are introduced to the concepts promoted by the No Excuses University program, which aims to instill a college-going culture in youngsters.

“Kelly is well-liked and respected, and definitely will be welcomed back,” Rosander said. “All the programs that have been added the past few years will remain.”

Denair Boosters Sober Grad Nite April eCycle Event

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Submitted by Denair Boosters Sober Grad Nite

Denair Boosters Sober Grad Nite will be holding an eCycle event at Denair High School on Saturday, April 29, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  Gather those old TV’s, CPUs, monitors, laptops, printers, cell phones, scanners, and copiers. Donating them is free and helps raise funds for activities and equipment for the students of Denair High School students.

Your donations help Denair High School students safely celebrate on the night of their high school graduation.

eCycle FAQ

Q. What items are acceptable?

A. Below are examples of acceptable and non-acceptable items. If you need further guidance, please contact us at denairsobergrad@gmail.com or call (209) 613-9228.

Acceptable

TV, Computer Monitors, Laptops, All-in-Ones
Computer – CPU and components, or parts
Computer Accessories – mouse, keyboard, speakers
Office Equipment – Printers, Fax Machines
Cell Phones

Non-Acceptable

Batteries, Lightbulbs
Kitchen Appliances
Kitchen Accessories – Coffee Pots, Toasters, Blenders
Household Fans, Excercise Equipment
Outdoor Tools & Equipment

Q. What do you do with the collected materials?

A. It is picked up by a local recycler and we get paid pennies per pound. The pennies add up!

Q. What about the any personal data that may be on my computer?

A. The recycler destroys the components, such as hard drives that contain your personal data.

Longtime Denair High School Teacher Passes

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Berniece Black

Submitted by Denair High School

Longtime Denair High School teacher and community resident Billie Berniece Black died April 18. She had just marked her 101st birthday on March 29.

Miss Black was born in Oklahoma and also lived in Missouri before moving with her family to Denair in 1929. She lived in the Denair and Turlock area for the rest of her life.

She graduated from Denair High in 1933, then attended Modesto Junior College and Biola University, where she earned a BA degree in Christian education.

Miss Black worked at Turlock Lumber Co. as a secretary and bookkeeper until the beginning of World War II, when she transferred to the Government Evacuation Hospital in Modesto for wounded soldiers.

When the war was over, she earned a master’s degree and secondary teaching credential from the University of California at Berkeley. She then joined the staff at Denair High School and taught history and business there for 36 years, retiring in 1976.

She was a member of the Denair Missionary Church for 50 years before joining the Turlock Evangelical Free Church in Turlock.

She is survived by one niece, Dr. Deanna Sharpe of Missouri; one grand-niece, Pam Domecq of Sacramento; and one grand-nephew, Allen Domecq of Modesto.

A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 29 at Denair Cemetery.