Two longtime supporters of students and programs in the Denair Unified School District will be honored next month as part of a countywide celebration of businesses, service clubs and individuals.

Turlock Feed and Livestock Supply and the Denair Lions Club will be recognized by the district for their contributions on April 10 at a luncheon in Modesto hosted by the Stanislaus Partners in Education (SPIE).

For many years, Turlock Feed and Livestock Supply has provided job opportunities for Denair High special education students as part of the adult transition program at the school, which teaches important life skills to those students.

“Your commitment to our program has made a significant and positive impact on our students, helping them build the confidence and independence necessary to develop key skills for future employability,” DHS Principal Breanne Aguiar wrote in a letter to the business. “As one of our longest-standing partners in the adult transition program, we are truly grateful for the vital role you play in enriching their learning journey.”

The Lions Club also is another consistent contributor to Denair Unified. Most recently, club members bought and installed a new scoreboard at the Ron Cornell Baseball Field at the high school.

“This new addition will enhance the overall game-day experience and serve as a lasting symbol of your club’s dedication to the success of our students,” Aguiar wrote to the club. “The Denair Lions Club has continually demonstrated an exceptional level of generosity and community spirit by supporting numerous initiatives across the district. Your ongoing efforts help provide our students with valuable resources and opportunities that foster growth, learning and teamwork.”

Mary Lewellen, owner of Turlock Feed and Livestock Supply, and John Macedo, the Denair Lions Club president, each have accepted the district’s invitation to attend the April 10 luncheon.

SPIE helps to develop education and industry relationships that provide a diverse range of career-connected learning activities for both educators and students. Local K-12 and college education leaders partner with representatives from major regional industries and employers to create programs that improve what’s taught in the classroom to better prepare students for the workforce. 

Public speaking may not be high on the list of favorite activities for most teen-agers, but two Denair High students flipped that script by recently excelling in regional speech competitions.

Zac Christianson and McKinley Binkley have shown that the combination of regular practice, focused preparation and the right experience can pay off with impressive performances.

Christianson, a senior, won the annual Lions Club speech contest last month, then finished first again in the Zone competition in Oakdale on March 6. That qualified him for the Regional event on March 24. 

Binkley, a junior, won the FFA TriRivers Section speech competition in the extemporaneous category, which earned her a spot in the Regionals on March 7 at Modesto Junior College. Christianson also qualified for the MJC event after coming in second in the job interview division.

Both students said learning to overcome the normal nervousness associated with public speaking is an valuable skill that will benefit them for years to come.

“I think it’s important for people my age to confidently speak in public because there are so many places where you will have to speak to a lot of people,” Christianson said. “Just like learning a new language, it’s better to learn these skills when you’re young because it sticks with you easier. The younger you learn, the better you will be.”

His winning Lions Club speech was about seven or eight minutes long and responded to the question 

“Is Artificial Intelligence a Friend or a Foe?”

“I said it was a friend and I used personal experiences I have had with artificial intelligence,” said  Christianson, who is a veteran not only of the Lions Club speech competition but also many FFA events.

“I was pretty nervous because I was mostly improvising my speech, which I am very glad I did because it came out way better because of it,” he said.

Binkley also previously competed in the Lions Club event, but it is in the FFA competitions that she has really shined. Last year, she finished in the top 24 in the state in the FFA’s impromptu category. This year, she entered the FFA’s extemporaneous division, where she had 30 minutes to craft a four- to six-minute speech about the ways that farmers use technology to improve production agriculture. To prepare this time, she has been coming to school an hour early on Tuesdays and Thursdays since November to work with her teachers and peers.

“I absolutely love competing in public speaking contest and highly encourage anyone who is interested in it to try it because of how much fun it is,” Binkley said.

Though she didn’t qualify for the state competition this year, she said competing has taught her “that I want to have a career where I can do public speaking because I love it and have worked so hard to be good at it.”

Billy Myers – a Lions Club member who helps organize the local event – encouraged more students to overcome their hesitance to public speaking and embrace the chance to learn an important skill.

“By writing and delivering a 10-minute speech, students are utilizing critical thinking skills while working on persuasion of an audience to their viewpoint citing sources and delivering information in a clear concise way,” said Myers, a local business owner who also serves on the Denair Unified school board. “Secondly, building public speaking skills early is a great benefit to students entering college or the workforce.”

In addition to Binkley and Christianson, five other Denair students competed in the FFA TriRivers Section competition: Makenzie Miguel, Aaliyah Rodriguez, Rin Rice, Gracie Brigham and Anthony Zavala. Rodriguez finished fifth in impromptu speaking, but only the top three in each division advanced to the MJC event.

In the Lions Club competition, Victor Sarmiento joined Christianson as the other Denair High entrant.

“We are very proud of our students,” said Roger Christianson, a Denair High ag instructor and Zac’s father. “It takes a lot for them to compete and a lot of practice to get where they got.” 

Denair Unified School District is extremely proud to announce that Student Board Member Zachary Christianson won the Lions Club Zone Level Speech Contest last night in Oakdale and will be advancing to the next level zone competition in Turlock on March 24th. Participants came from Ceres, Waterford, and Oakdale High Schools but Zac’s captivating and engaging speech content about artificial intelligence and powerful delivery clearly stood out among the judges in the competition.💜

Despite controlling the ball for much of the second half, Denair’s offense could never break through with the tying goal in what turned out to be the final match of the season, a 1-0 loss Tuesday night to Bradshaw Christian in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 6 boys soccer playoffs.

It was only the fourth time in 23 matches that the Coyotes failed to score. One was a 5-0 loss to Summerville in the first match of the season. The other two were 0-0 ties against Hughson and Delhi.

“We got pretty close but their keeper stopped them all, including three headers. He was pretty good,” said Denair coach Antonio Padilla. “It was just one of those games.”

Denair (11-8-4) – the No. 6 seed in the 12-team tournament – trailed 1-0 at halftime after the Pride scored the game’s only goal about 25 minutes into the first half.

The Coyotes spent most of the second half in Bradshaw’s end of the field but couldn’t come up with the key play to tie the score.

“It was a good game,” Padilla said. “In the first half, they dominated. In the second half, we controlled the ball. Everybody was pressing. We left it all on the field. We fought hard. I’m very proud of them.”

It was the fourth year in a row Denair made the playoffs. In 2022 and 2023, the Coyotes won Section championships and qualified for the Northern California tournament.

With many of his key players returning next season, Padilla expects Denair to be right back in the playoff mix.

“They worked super hard,” Padilla said of his team. “I told them that tough times will make you better in life.”

Second-seeded Bradshaw Christian (14-7-1) will face No. 1 Millennium (16-4-4) of Tracy in Saturday’s championship match at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento. Millennium defeated Ripon Christian 3-1.

Wednesday was the annual College and Career Fair at Denair High School, a time for students to learn not just more about local community colleges and four-year universities but also hear from and talk to people representing dozens of different career paths.

The event is a popular one among the 400 or students in eighth to 12^th grade, who get a break from their regular classes while being exposed to academic and job possibilities many may never have otherwise considered.

“It allows students to learn about the professions and trade opportunities available to them after high school, as well as ask questions about the schooling needed to achieve their career goals,” explained DHS Principal Breanne Aguiar.

The day began with motivational speaker Juan Cangas, whose theme was “Why do some people succeed in life while others fail?” He entertained students while delivering the message that it’s never too soon to begin thinking about life after high school – whether that includes a four-year college, a two-year community college or trade school or joining the workforce right away. He cited his own example of being the first member of his family to attend college.

After Cangas got them energized, students got to pick three breakout sessions to attend out of 29 possibilities. Among the careers represented were a California Highway Patrol officer, a firefighter, a real estate agent, an attorney, a baker, a tattoo artist, an auto mechanic, a welder, a banker, a psychiatrist, a 911 dispatcher, a local physician’s assistant, a mental health clinician, electrical linemen from the Turlock Irrigation District and a heating and air conditioning technician from DeHart Technical School. Denair Unified Superintendent Terry Metzger even led a session focused on careers in education. 

“In the past law enforcement and health careers seem to be the biggest draw. This year, our biggest rooms included 911 dispatch, tattoo artist, baker and nail technician,” said Brittany Heinsaar, the high school’s counselor who helped organize the event.

Following lunch, students went back to the gym, where they received additional information about current job opportunities and were able to talk with representatives from local colleges, trade schools and the military as well as business people about the first steps needed to become employable within their organization.