There is a sign outside the weight room used by the Denair boys basketball team that neatly summarizes Coach Edwin Santiago’s philosophy: “The weight room isn’t for everyone, but then again, neither is playing time or winning.”

Physical conditioning, stamina and strength are essential in the style of basketball demanded of his players by Santiago. It’s called the Grinnell system after the small college in Iowa where it was first developed many years ago. It’s not unlike the run-and-gun offense famously used by Paul Westhead at Loyola Marymount University in the early ’80s. Starters play as fast and as hard as they can for three or four minutes at a time, then are replaced by five new players – not unlike a line change in a hockey game. If the second team gives up six points, then the starters are re-inserted.

The Grinnell system makes for a frenetic and definitely non-traditional game, which Santiago admits can puzzle and even frustrate some players and fans.

“It’s entertaining, but it’s also challenging,” he said.

Santiago expects his players to shoot quickly on offense, within the first 12 seconds that they have the ball. Players reluctant to shoot will join Santiago on the bench.

“Our mentality is, ‘If you’re open for a shot, take it. If you’re not, drive to the basket.’ The last option is pass it,” he said. “That was hardest lesson to learn.”

The Coyotes seem to have gotten the idea. Through their first nine games this season, they have attempted about 40 shots a game, but Santiago would like to see that rise to 50. By comparison, the national average is about 28 shots in a 32-minute game.

All those shots lead to plenty of misses, so Santiago drills his players to aggressively pursue the rebound – hence, the need for strength built lifting weights. Denair averages 11 offensive rebounds a game, about twice the national average.

“The system is based on offensive rebounds,” Santiago explained. “We’re not expecting to make the first shot, but the second or third shot. From a slightly contested first shot, you get a calm, cool second or third shot. But if the team is not getting more offensive rebounds, they’re not going to be successful.”

Size is important when it comes to rebounding, but attitude and desire also play an important part. Santiago wants his players to outwork their opponents for rebounds, no matter how tall they are. That’s where the time spent in the weight room has paid off.

“If you’re going to offensive rebound, you better be strong,” Santiago said. “We work on positioning quite a bit in practice, more on the physicality part of it. … We’re not crybabies on fouls. We expect to be hit under the basket.”

So far, the uncommon style has served Denair well, despite a couple of lopsided losses. The Coyotes – who host Stone Ridge Christian on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. – are 5-4 in their non-league schedule, a major improvement from the 3-23 record Denair posted last year in Santiago’s first season as coach.

Players like 6-foot-5 sophomore power forward Koby Cervantes (16.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game), senior point guard and team captain Landon Borges (8.9 ppg, 2.5 assists per game) and 6-4 senior center Wyatt Barber (6.9 rpg) have adapted to Santiago’s system. They’re the leaders of a young squad that includes just three seniors.

Santiago said the unconventional system takes time for many players to become comfortable in – including the points system he uses to evaluate performance and determine playing time.

“You lose points for turnovers, but not for taking a shot,” Santiago said. “There’s not a shot I don’t like. Blocks, steals, deflections and defensive rebounds … they’re all ways to earn points.”

On school sites with hundreds of students, it’s inevitable that some of them will not always get along. Three principals in the Denair Unified School District – Breanne Aguiar (high school), Gabriela Sarmiento (middle school) and Laura Cardenas (elementary school) – recently addressed the issue of peer conflict on their campuses and the strategies they use to diffuse situations.

Question: What does peer conflict look like? What’s the difference between students simply not getting along and the kind of conflict that requires intervention by you or another staff member?

Answer: Peer conflict is a type of social friction between peers and can be posed in a variety of ways — from a student making comments about another student due to “hearing” about what they believe was shared about them to an instance of sharing misinformation on social media. Often, we have observed peer conflict that results from miscommunication, false information being shared and assumptions. Peer conflict is unavoidable and oftentimes provides an opportunity for growth and reflection among students through mediation and restorative practices. Peer conflict is much different than bullying. Bullying is when a student or group of students repeatedly and aggressively target another student’s and create an imbalance of power. 

Q: How do you become aware of potentially serious peer conflict? What is the best way for students to alert you if they or someone they know has a problem?

A: Oftentimes, students share information with a trusted adult or report serious conflicts with the campus supervisor, administration or office staff. Across DUSD school sites, use of the STOPit application or connecting with a trusted adult has been the most effective way to notify staff about a conflict to ensure this is addressed immediately. 

Q: Please explain how the STOPit app works?

A: The STOPit application has been implemented universally across the district since the 2019-20 school year. We want to promote the use of the anonymous STOPit reporting tool to ensure students and families are aware of how to report instances of peer conflict or concerns across campus. Additional information on STOPit can be found on the district webpage at https://www.denairusd.org/ParentsStudents/STOPit/index.html.

Q: Recognizing each situation is unique and respecting individual privacy, can you talk about some specific examples of the kinds of conflicts you’ve dealt with and how they were resolved?

A: At the site level, peer conflict may look like one student sharing information about another student. The information is then altered and shared with other students, thus causing social friction. This type of behavior can result in the continuation of misinformation being shared and lead to further conflict at school, as well as on social media. In this instance, students would engage in a structured mediation to resolve the conflict. 

Q: How big of a role does social media play in peer conflict today?

A: Social media has a significant impact on peer conflict today. Information and misinformation alike can be shared within a matter of seconds. This has a direct impact on the number and frequency of peer conflicts seen across schools today.  

Q: What should parents know about how you approach peer conflict? Are they notified? 

A: Every incident of peer conflict is unique. Schools notify parents based on the severity of the conflict and the needs of individual students. As educators, we strive to equip students with the necessary skills to navigate and resolve peer conflict on their own, when appropriate.

Q: What role can/should parents play in identifying solutions?

A: Monitoring your child’s activity outside of school and talking with your child about how to address conflict is important. Reporting instances of conflict via STOPit or directly to office personnel is the first step to ensuring school staff address concerns promptly and mediate issues. Together, we can create and promote a positive and safe learning environment for all students. 

After a few down years, the wrestling program at Denair High is once again trending in the right direction. There is no better evidence than the Coyotes’ performance the weekend before Thanksgiving at a tournament in Tulare.

Jesse Ruelas Jr., competing at 157 pounds, and Adrian Enciso, at 190 pounds, became the first Denair wrestlers in at least five years to earn medals outside of a Southern League Meet.

Ruelas, a junior, won his weight class in dominant fashion, pinning all four opponents – the last one in just 46 seconds.

“What he did was very impressive,” said Denair Coach Bryan Herrington.

Enciso, also a junior, finished second in his weight class and was one of six Coyotes to earn medals at the Mission Oak Scramble tournament.

The other medalists all were at the boys JV or girls varsity levels – junior Christian Vroni (second at 157), sophomore Even Coronel (third at 190), junior Angel Rodriguez (fourth at 126) and freshman Brianna Thomas (fourth at 170 in her first meet ever).

“We wrestled with 13 wrestlers and brought home six medals,” Herrington said. “We were one of the smallest schools in the tournament but finished in eighth place with 144 team points.”

The early success this season marks a positive turnaround for Herrington, now in his fifth year as head coach, and the Coyotes program. 

“When I first started, we had about 10 kids. There was natural attrition and we finished with four or five first year,” he explained. “Then COVID ruined the whole thing in the second year. The third year, we had few kids come out, but we never got in the rhythm.”

Last year, the program may have hit bottom. “We started with eight or nine kids and finished with two,” Herrington said. “It was very discouraging.”

Faced with a choice of either walking away or trying to find a new way to generate excitement for wrestling, Herrington opted for the latter. Heeding the advice of Jesse Ruelas Sr. – Jesse Junior’s (J.J.’s) father – Herrington started a freestyle wrestling program in March called the Denair Den for kids ages 4 to 17. He got 25 wrestlers of all ages to sign up and they competed in various spring tournaments through June.

At the same time, one other key thing happened – Jesse Ruelas Jr. – who didn’t wrestle his sophomore year, decided to return to the sport last spring and began doing well.

“J.J. came back and started showing out,” Herrington said. “Not only did he come back, he dragged 10 juniors with him. Now I have 16 kids in the wrestling room.”

The result is a reinvigorated program, renewed excitement and the beginning of a youth pipeline that could produce wrestlers for years to come in a notoriously difficult and demanding sport. Wrestling, Herrington will be the first to admit, is not for everyone.

“A little bit has to be a natural ability to tough things out,” said Herrington, describing what it takes to be a wrestler. “A lot of it is mental toughness. We talk about that a lot. Wrestling isn’t for everybody. It’s tough. You have to show up and be willing to get your butt kicked. You have to find it in yourself. I can’t do it for them. 

“A lot of them found it that weekend in Tulare. They realized why I push them to do one more set in practice. I saw the looks on their faces. I said, ‘Do you like that? That’s why we work hard – for that feeling.’ ”

Denair will be back in action this Saturday at the Bulldog Classic in Turlock, where only the four varsity wrestlers – Ruelas, Vroni, Enciso and junior Nick Calderon (215 pounds) – will compete. The following week, the JV wrestlers have a tournament in Livingston. Then, the Southern League dual meet season begins Dec. 20 in Newman against Orestimba. 

Herrington said Denair – like many of the Southern League schools – may not be able to have a wrestler at every weight class, at least not this year.

“We’re stacked in the upper weights,” he said. “We have four at 190, three at 215 and two heavyweights. The bright side is they have plenty of practice partners. Iron sharpens iron. They can beat up on each other. The problem is only one can go to varsity tournaments. But they all can still wrestle at the JV level.”

Three recent Denair High graduates recently became the latest recipients in the 94-year history of the school’s FFA chapter to earn the national organization’s prestigious American Degree.

Destiny Lema, Shayln Gomes and Conner Prock all were recognized earlier this month at the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis. All are members of the Denair High Class of 2023.

Lema is now a student at Modesto Junior College working toward completing her veterinarian prerequisites. Gomes attends Fresno State majoring in agriculture education. Prock works with his brother, Kyle, in the beef cattle industry raising a registered Angus herd.

There are many steps to achieving the American Degree, including a supervised project and at least 50 hours of community service with three different organizations, said Denair ag teacher Roger Christianson

Lema was farm manager at Denair FFA farm for one year, raised market hogs and had a breeding hog project. Gomes completed community floral projects, raised market hogs for two years and helped on a goat farm. Prock did ag mechanics projects in addition to raising his registered Angus herd.

This is the second time in its long history that the Denair FFA chapter has had three American Degree recipients in the same year, Christianson said. The previous time was in 1991. Since it was formed in 1929, the Denair chapter has had 20 American Degree recipients. Only about 1% of all FFA members nationally earn the degree.

The staff and students at Denair High School use words like “family,” “fun,” “supportive,” “collaborative” and “superb” to describe the culture and vibe on the campus. And like many small schools, there is a closeness that develops when there are just 278 students, many of whom are in the same classes as well as participate on the same sports teams or belong to the same clubs. They form bonds and relationships that don’t always exist at larger schools.

All those traits and more were in the spotlight at Thursday night’s meeting of the Denair Unified School District Board of Trustees, who listened as the high school’s principal and student leaders shared what day-to-day life is like on campus.

A short video set to music was played that reflected the learning occurring in DHS classrooms as well as many of the fun activities involving students and staff. Principal Breanne Aguiar and six students — Skylynn High (student body president), Emanuel Renteria (rally coordinator), Alyssa Hernandez and Lilianna Marquez (publicity coordinators), Eddie Verdugo (spirit coordinator) and Natalie Rodriguez (leadership team) – took turns talking about various programs and successes.

The bottom line: There is a lot going on at Denair High.

Among the highlights:

• The addition of a fifth career technical education (CTE) pathway this year. Arts, media and entertainment joins criminal justice, ag mechanics, agriscience and floral arrangement as a series of coordinate classes that help prepare students for careers that don’t necessarily require them to attend college.
• A robust menu of academic choices for students who are on the college-going track, including the ability to earn college credits from Modesto Junior College while still in high school.
• An exciting range of electives that includes classes in kinesiology, digital photography, art, agriculture, communication and debate, leadership, band, marketing and even being a teacher’s assistant at the elementary school.
• An array of social and emotional support systems to help students encountering issues inside and outside the classroom.
• A full complement of extracurricular activities, including sports teams for boys and girls, nine different campus clubs and opportunities in music and drama.

Aguiar said everything happening at the high school is intended to prepare students to succeed after graduation, no matter which path they may choose.

“Whether they’re interested in attending college, trade school or going into the workforce, Denair High School believes in providing students with opportunities to broaden their perspectives and interests,” she said.

Over the past few years, one of the key efforts at DHS has centered around building a strong culture of inclusivity and connectedness, Aguiar and the students said. That is reflected in how special ed students are integrated into campus activities as well as the ways high school students are serving as mentors to young children.

For instance, Aguiar said that in November many of her students will complete training to become certified in the Friday Night Live mentorship curriculum, which is provided through the Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services. Completion of this training will allow students the chance to mentor students at Denair Middle School as well as Denair Elementary Charter Academy. 

All of the classes, relationships with teachers and staff, and extracurricular activities help to shape a positive and impactful culture on campus, one that positively shapes students for life.

“Once a Coyote, always a Coyote,” said Renteria.

In other action Thursday, trustees:

• Voted 5-0 to ratify an agreement with the California School Employees’ Association and its Denair Chapter #113 that provides 8% salary increase retroactive to July 1 for the 2023-24 school year. CSEA represents most of the staff who are not administrators or teachers. All of Denair’s other employees have already received the same salary increase.
• Heard an update on attendance at Denair Elementary Charter Academy since minimum days were flipped from Fridays to Wednesdays this year. Superintendent Terry Metzger said absences are down from an average of 42 on Fridays in 2022-23 to 34 in 2023-24. Absences on Wednesday are down from an average of 29 last school year to 27 this school year. 
• Unanimously approved the Grad Night trip to Disneyland for the Class of 2024 and school staff next spring. Denair High students and chaperones will leave via bus on May 19 and return the next evening.
• Voted to accept a $210,000 CalSHAPE Ventilation program grant. The money will pay for 270 filters and assessment and maintenance for 99 air conditioning and heating units at Denair High School and Denair Middle School.