Finals may be looming and graduation is just around the corner, but it still has been a busy time for a number of Denair athletes. Here is a quick recap of what has happened in the past week:

Track & Field

Steffin Winston was the only one of 15 Coyotes competing at last week’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division V Meet in Stockton to qualify for this week’s Masters Meet in Davis.

Winston, a senior, won the triple jump with a leap of 46 feet, 5½ inches – setting a school record and obliterating his personal best of 44-11 established just the week before. The 46-5½ is the second-best mark in the 200-school Sac-Joaquin Section this spring, positioning Winston as one of the favorites this week.

“If all goes well, he’ll do well,” praised Denair Coach Jim Wagner. “He’s continued to get better this entire season, but that 46-5½ still was surprising. He’s been consistently pushing himself and hitting his marks.”

Winston also is one of the Section’s top long jumpers, but chose to go on his Senior Trip to Disneyland last week rather than compete in that event.

Continue reading “Steffin Winston Qualifies for Masters Track Meet; Denair Rebels basketball team wins tournament” »

Submitted by Denair Unified School District:

Six seniors at Denair High School have earned prestigious recognition for their bilingual speaking and writing abilities.

Andres Jimenez, Analdo Moreno, Reyna Villa, Jennifer Ramos, Yuritzy Perez and Alondra Sandoval were among nearly 300 Stanislaus County students recognized during a ceremony May 7 at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto.

Sandoval also earned a special honor as one of three keynote student speakers at the event.

All six of the Denair students plan to attend college after graduation next week. The coveted Seal of Multilingual Proficiency will be specially noted on their high school diplomas, certifying that they are fluent in English as well as Spanish. It is a positive sign when they apply to colleges, compete for scholarships or submit job applications.

Continue reading “6 Denair High Students Honored for Language Skills” »

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District:

A slight uptick in attendance rates could mean more money in the paychecks of Denair Unified School District employees.

Denair’s four schools traditionally have enjoyed attendance rates well above 90%. Still, district officials decided earlier this year to put increased emphasis on students coming to class.

They rolled out a campaign called “It’s Not the Same Without You … You Matter,” using social media and various attendance-based campus incentives to motivate students.

The goal was as much pragmatic as financial: Students who are in class more often are connected to school and perform better academically.

Across the district, attendance rates rose from 0.5% at Denair Elementary Charter Academy to 1.5% at Denair High School, compared with the same time last year.

Continue reading “Increased Attendance Rate Means More Money for Staff” »

Submitted by Denair High School:

JT Smith knew exactly what the situation was as he took the mound in the top of the seventh inning Friday. He was three outs from a perfect game.

Not a single Delhi batter had reached base against the Denair senior. Most, in fact, hadn’t even put the ball in play. Smith had struck out 17 of the first 18 hitters he faced.

His Coyote teammates, meanwhile, had methodically built a 9-0 lead at Ron Cornell Field, so the outcome wasn’t in doubt.

The only question was whether Smith could compose himself and record three more outs without allowing a baserunner.

“I knew the game was going by pretty quick,” said Smith. “I asked someone when we were up what inning it was. They said it was going to be the seventh. No one wanted to say anything.

“When I went out to the mound, I saw my mom in the stands. My dad went down the outfield line. I was nervous, I admit it. It was pretty intense.”

Facing the top of the Delhi lineup for the third time, Smith relied on his overpowering fastball to quickly strike out the first hitter.

Continue reading “JT Smith Throws Perfect Game for Denair” »

Submitted by Denair High School:

There was a “fatal” car crash Tuesday morning on the Denair High track. Christian Obando was pronounced “dead” at the scene. Chloe Padgett and Scott Badal later “died” at local hospitals.

Valerie Sutton survived, but lost three friends.

Hunter Musgrave was led away in handcuffs, arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter.

The graphically real-life scene – complete with Obando smashed through a windshield, actual emergency personnel using the Jaws of Life and even a helicopter — was part of the Every 15 Minutes program organized by the California Highway Patrol in conjunction with school districts.

It was a frightening, heart-breaking and, yes, sobering reminder to Denair’s students and others of the dangers of drinking and driving.

Shortly after 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, an alarm went off on campus. All students and staff were ordered to evacuate to the football bleachers.

There, they sat in stunned silence as emergency crews – sirens blaring and lights flashing – raced to the accident scene unveiled before them.

Some students quietly cried as paramedics and firefighters worked frantically to “save” Padgett and Badal. They held their breath as CPR was performed on the two teens before they were whisked away by regular and air ambulances.

They heard Sutton wail after Obando’s body was covered with a yellow tarp and, later, zipped into a body bad and loaded into the white coroner’s van. “You killed our friends,” she screamed at Musgrave.

They watched intently as Musgrave failed multiple sobriety tests.

They sat eerily still as a CHP officer read Obando’s obituary.

And Wednesday morning, they relived the whole horrible scene again during an assembly at which a victim of a real-life DUI incident talked about the impact it has had on his life.

The two-day event was timely, with the high school program this Saturday and graduation in a few more weeks.

The message, said Denair Superintendent Terry Metzger, is that “it only takes a minute to change your life.”

Continue reading “‘Every 15 Minutes’ Presentation Makes Powerful Impression on Students About the Dangers of Drinking and Driving” »