This is one in a series of Q&A’s with employees new to Denair Unified in 2022-23.

Family: Married with two children (daughter going into first grade and son going into eighth grade). 

School: Denair Middle School

Subject taught: Spanish, Dual Language Immersion Spanish Arts, AVID

Experience and education: Graduated with bachelor’s degree and finished credential program, both at CSU Stanislaus. I have worked for the public school system since I graduated high school.  I have worked in a variety of classified positions in the Ceres Unified School District and completed my student teaching experience in Ceres at Cesar Chavez Junior High School. 

What attracted you to Denair? I have heard great things about Denair Unified. One that drove me here is that it is a small school district with great community participation. I love to hear that parents, administration and staff are involved in the success of DUSD students. 

What most inspires you about teaching? What inspired me to become a teacher was the love for my language, culture and community. I want to take part in helping students who want to learn a new language, and I want to keep pushing those who already speak it to polish it and become biliterate. Lastly, I want to inspire the younger generation and make a positive impact in their lives.

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? I am looking forward to getting to know my students, building a relationship and a sense of community in my classes. I want students to feel like we are all learning together by engaging them in the learning process and giving them the tools they need to succeed.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? My favorite teaching tool is in class peer/group conversations. When in a language class, it is essential to practice the language with those learning alongside us. How I do this is by incorporating various activities to get students talking in the target language.

What do you want your students to remember? I want the students to remember that they are bright, capable and valued.

How can parents support what you do? I believe parents play a big role in their students’ education. The key is to keep an open line of communication and work together to help the students succeed. If this is in place, we are going to make big things happen.

What would surprise people about your job? Something that would surprise people about my job is that it is a lifelong learning experience. For me, too, teaching is learning. I have to keep up with new trends in the language and methods of teaching language acquisition. 

What do you do for fun? For fun, I do family time. My family is big (my parents, my siblings with their own individual families, too) and when we get together, you bet it is a party of laughter, music and food.

This is one in a series of Q&A’s with teachers new to Denair Unified in 2022-23.

Family: I have a 10-year-old 

School: Denair High School 

Subject taught: Spanish and English Language Development

Experience and education: I have been in education for more than seven years working as a paraprofessional and later a substitute teacher. This is my second year teaching in the Denair Unified School District. Last year, I taught English, math and science at Denair Middle School. 

What attracted you to Denair? I love that Denair is a small community in which everyone is very united. Being able to work in an environment where we know all staff and students really makes our days more pleasant and productive. 

What most inspires you about teaching? What inspires me the most about teaching is being able to make a difference in students’ lives, not only academically but also on a personal level. I am a first-generation college graduate who has overcome many hardships due to language and economic barriers. I want to be a role model for my students and show them that anything is possible as long as they truly want it and work for it. 

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? Student engagement can at times be a challenge in the classroom; therefore, I look forward to teaching in ways in which they have fun as they learn. 

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I have two favorite teaching tools. One is using the “Pear Deck” platform for interactive lessons. Students enjoy seeing their immediate responses on the board and this has an amazing impact on student engagement. My favorite second teaching tool is using a “hot potato” ball that I have my students hold as they practice their speaking skills in my language classes.

What do you want your students to remember? I want them to remember that hard work is compensated for, and that education is a tool for success and no one can take that away from them. 

How can parents support what you do? Parents can support what I do by asking their student how they are doing in my class, regularly checking their grades and holding their child accountable for completing their assignments. 

What would surprise people about your job? People would be surprised to know that I am able to remember my students’ writing styles. 

What do you do for fun? I enjoy spending time outdoors. I especially like to go on bike rides, walks and fishing with my son. I also love going to amusement parks; Six Flags is my favorite. Lastly, I really like to challenge myself by practicing weight training. 

This is one in a series of Q&A’s with employees new to Denair Unified in 2022-23.

Family: Fiancé Anthony and our dog Clover. 

School: Denair Middle School 

Subject taught: English, math and science

Experience and education: I have a BA in psychology and received my Multiple Subject Credential in 2020. I began teaching in 2020 in a sixth-grade GATE classroom and worked there through the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years. 

What attracted you to Denair? What attracted to me Denair was wanting to work in a smaller town with a tight-knit community.

What most inspires you about teaching? What most inspires me about teaching is being able to build meaningful relationships with the students. The students really inspire me to challenge myself as an educator and to continue to learn to bring them the best practices possible.

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? I look forward to the challenge of adjusting to a middle school environment, just like my sixth-graders.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? My favorite teaching activity is working on argumentative writing. I love seeing the students thinking and what they are interested in through their topics and research.

What do you want your students to remember? I want my students to remember that my classroom is always a safe place for them and that they could always be true to themselves. 

How can parents support what you do? Parents can support what I do by communicating with me and working as a team to help their student throughout the school year. 

What would surprise people about your job? What would surprise people about my job is that sixth-graders aren’t as scary as most people think! 

What do you do for fun? For fun I like to tend to my plants, ride my beach cruiser and play with my dog.

Everyone can sense it even if they can’t always define what it means. When classes began Wednesday, everyone felt a “positive vibe” across the  Denair Unified School District. Students returned to Denair’s four campuses more eager than ever to learn. Teachers were excited to share their knowledge via creative lesson plans. Administrators and support personnel couldn’t wait to play their parts.

Combine all that energy with the lessening of the big, black cloud that has hung over education the past 2½ years – COVID – and it’s no secret why there were so many smiles this week.

“I went to every campus on Wednesday and the vibe was great,” Superintendent Terry Metzger said after Thursday night’s monthly Board of Trustees meeting. “The kids are happy to be back.”

Principals said that despite new starting time this year – classes now begin 30 minutes later than a year ago – many students arrived early on Wednesday. 

“We had many kids who showed up at 7:30 a.m., even though school doesn’t start until 8:30,” said Gabriela Sarmiento, principal at Denair Middle School. “I think they were just excited to get started. It’s been an amazing vibe.”

Denair’s enrollment has swelled to 1,288 students – 26 more than a year ago – thanks to gains at the elementary, middle school and high school campuses.

“We’ve had a lot of kids move into the district boundaries,” Metzger said. “We’re working to get them enrolled as fast as we can.”

Denair Elementary Charter Academy is maxed out with 600 kindergarten through fifth-graders. 

“We don’t have any more room. It’s a nice problem to have,” Trustee Crystal Sousa said Thursday night.

DECA is one of two Denair campuses with a new principal this year. Marilu Cano, who takes over for Kelly Beard, was so excited that she got to school before 7 a.m. Wednesday. She made it a point to personally meet and greet many children and their parents in front of the school.

“I told the kids, ‘Who’s new here?’ Welcome to the club,” said Cano, who reveled in the reaction of some students. “The little ones hug you. They’re so cute.”

Across Lester Road at the high school, Interim Principal Breanne Aguiar also enjoyed all the excitement that the first day of class brings. In the past six years, she has served as a teacher and then principal at Denair Charter Academy, been the assistant director of special education and worked as the homeless and foster youth liaison. Aguiar replaces Kara Backman who has accepted a job outside the district after six years in Denair.

“It’s been a whirlwind for me, but it’s been a great start to school,” said Aguiar. 

On Wednesday, the high school leadership class organized some fun activities, including donuts for incoming freshman and a water balloon toss at lunch. Each of the campuses planned rallies Friday to continue the welcome-back theme and keep the positive vibe going.

No one is forgetting about academics, though. Teachers will continue to focus on core subjects as well as challenging electives while striving to meet the district’s three overarching goals – to prepare all students to continue their education beyond high school, to help them become authentically literate in all subjects, and to maintain a positive and safe school environment where all students are successful.

“We are looking forward to a positive school year through providing students with opportunity, focusing on our culture, and providing the tools and resources needed to ensure academic growth for all students,” Aguiar said.

In other action Thursday night, trustees:

• Unanimously approved (with Trustee Regina Gomes absent), a 45-day revision to the 2022-23 budget. As explained by Director of Fiscal Services Daisy Swearingen, the district expects to receive an additional $2.3 million in one-time money from the state in the form of a $1.6 million block grant to address ongoing learning challenges related to the pandemic and $753,000 for arts, music and instructional materials. In addition, the state will provide an extra $117,000 on top of the $52,000 it already pledged for transportation services. Together, that will pay for 60% of Denair’s $300,000 cost to bus students. 
• Heard a recap of the district’s summer school programs. There were 101 high school students who took classes online or in person in an effort to make up for credits not earned during the previous school year. At the elementary level, 227 students participated in at least of 16 enrichment camps. Eight special education students also were served.
• Swore in student board members Melanie Connell and Emily Mancilla. Both are seniors at Denair High.

This is one in a series of Q&A’s with employees new to Denair Unified in 2022-23.

Family: Just myself and my chihuahua, Bowie!

School: Denair Middle School

Subject taught: Seventh- and eighth-grade history and yearbook

Experience and education: This is my second year teaching history. Previously, I taught eighth-grade history at a middle school in Fresno. Before teaching, I earned my bachelor’s degree in recreation administration from Fresno State. I worked in corporate event coordination prior to starting my career in education. I earned my teaching credential in social science and my master’s in education from National University. 

What attracted you to Denair? I had heard nothing but wonderful things about the community and school district, which is what attracted me to the district. 

What most inspires you about teaching? The students! I think I have learned more from the students I’ve taught/coached than they have learned from me. So many of my previous students have faced challenges I could not imagine going through, yet they came to my class every day with a smile and a positive mindset. It’s inspiring to me and encourages me to do my best to provide them a space where they can feel comfortable and safe. 

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? I previously taught only eighth-grade history, so adding seventh-grade history and yearbook to my plate is an exciting challenge I look forward to. 

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I use Blooket as a review game prior to chapter tests and students love it. It gives them a chance to be competitive and engage with other students, while preparing for upcoming assessments. 

What do you want your students to remember?  I want them to remember the positive and inclusive culture we created in my classroom. I want them to leave knowing that they are capable of anything they set their mind to and that I will always believe in them! Hopefully, they remember a little bit of the material I taught them, too! 

How can parents support what you do? Parents can support what I do by encouraging their students to follow class and school rules, show respect to other students and staff members, complete their assignments on time and encourage them to always do their best. Establishing a line of communication between parent/teacher is also very beneficial to all.