Tag Archives: Denair High School

Class Act! 10 questions for Monica Roberts

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Monica Roberts

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Name:  Monica Roberts

Family: Daughter Eliana and son Dylan

School: Denair High School

Subject taught: Principal’s Secretary

Experience and education:  13 years working in education.  Past positions include speech aide, attendance secretary, dance teacher and language arts teacher. B.S. in physical education with a minor in dance and concentration in teaching from San Jose State University. Previous co-owner of Backstage Academy of Dance in Turlock.

What most inspires you about working in Denair High School?  The staff and students inspire me on a daily basis.  We have so many wonderful things happening on our campus and I love to see everything play out and come together.

What are your biggest challenges as a classified staff member? My biggest challenge as a classified staff member is not having enough hours in the day to assist everyone.

What is your favorite support tool or activity? My favorite support tool is communication.  I ask questions constantly.  Other staff members at the high school and throughout the district are used to me calling around for an answer or solution to something!

What do you want your students to remember? I want the students to remember to be kind, courteous and patient.  We are not only teaching them to learn subjects in school, but also reinforcing polite behavior on a daily basis.  Also, remember to smile!  It will get you far in life!!

How can parents support what you do? Parents can continue to be friendly when asking a question or needing assistance.  It can sometimes take a while to solve a problem or get the correct answer so patience is always good too! Continue reading “Class Act! 10 questions for Monica Roberts” »

4 Turnovers Torpedo Coyotes in 27-19 Loss to Summerville in Season Opener

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DHS Coyotes Football

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Hang on to the ball and they have a chance. That’s what Denair High football coach Anthony Armas will be drilling into his players this week after a frustrating 27-19 loss to Summerville in the season opener Friday night.

The scrappy Coyotes, who dressed just 16 players, were undone by three fumbles and an interception. Two of the fumbles came in the second half, when Summerville rallied from a 19-13 deficit to take the lead. The interception came on the final play of regulation, when Denair quarterback Kyle Prock heaved a pass toward a teammate rather than take a sack that would have allowed the game clock to expire.

“We did well. We were able to move the ball, but the turnovers in the second half killed us,” said Armas.

More than 1,000 fans were treated to a back-and-forth game on a beautiful summer night at Jack Lytton Stadium.

The Bears (1-0) opened the scoring on a 10-yard pass from Gabe Walker to Zach Marquez in the first quarter.

The Coyotes (0-1) came storming back, taking advantage of Summerville’s own sloppiness (three turnovers in the first half).

Justin Steeley tied the game at 7-7 on a 7-yard run to cap off a nice drive. Then late in the first quarter, after the Coyotes’ recovered a fumble, Prock found Blake Davis on a 35-yard pass for another touchdown. A missed extra point left Denair on top 13-7.

Summerville tied the game on a TD run, but Denair wasn’t done. The Coyotes put together another nice drive that culminated in Brendan Curnow’s 1-yard score and a 19-13 lead after the two-point conversion attempt failed. Continue reading “4 Turnovers Torpedo Coyotes in 27-19 Loss to Summerville in Season Opener” »

Small But Mighty – That’s the Theme of the 2016 Denair High Football Team

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DHS Coyotes Football

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

In addition to being a football coach, Anthony Armas is a math teacher. He understands numbers. And the bottom line tells a worrisome tale for this year’s Denair High team: There are just 16 players on the varsity roster.

There’s no getting around the impact of that fact. It changes how Armas and his coaching staff approach practices, it changes how physical the players can be during the week for fear of injury and it changes game strategy with so many required to play both offense and defense.

“The coaches knew when we came over what we were getting into,” said Armas, a Denair High graduate beginning his second year as head coach. “Having 16 guys is terrifying sometimes. We’re walking on eggshells. If someone starts limping in practice, I get nervous.”

Having acknowledged the tiny turnout, Armas remains upbeat about the upcoming season and the Coyotes’ chances to improve on last year’s 3-7 overall record. They begin Friday at home against Summerville. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Jack Lytton Stadium.

Denair more than held its own in Saturday’s scrimmage with Linden, Mountain House and Delhi.

“We did well against them all. Our execution was good for this point in the season,” said Armas, crediting that to the continuity of running the same offensive and defensive schemes for two years in a row. “The players are really understanding what we’re trying to do. We even had kids coming up to coaches suggesting which plays might work.”

Armas said his defense was “dialed in” and the offensive line matched up well against all three opponents. The only concern following the scrimmage was the health of junior tight end and linebacker Dylan Mann, who banged up his shoulder and may not be able to play Friday. Continue reading “Small But Mighty – That’s the Theme of the 2016 Denair High Football Team” »

Denair High’s New Culinary Coyote Lunch Menu Off to a Sensational Start With Students

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Culinary Coyote

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

School is barely two weeks ago and Denair High students already know where they want to be at lunch. The Culinary Coyote.

Within minutes of the bell sounding, the long lines start forming in three queues. The attraction? Hand-made burritos. Burgers, hot dogs and potato wedges. Chinese entrees. Savory pastas and pizza. An assortment of fresh fruit and vegetables.

And all for just $2.10 per meal. Talk about a bargain.

The Culinary Coyote is the brainchild of food services director Billy Reid. It has been three years in the making, time spent creating the right menus and funding formula to pay for it all. The results – measured not just in numbers of students served, but in satisfaction and smiles – are easy to see.

“It’s been amazing so far,” said Kim Anderson, the food service coordinator. “Our count is way up. A big day before was 150 students and we’ve been averaging almost 200 this year.”

Reid’s vision was to expand the options from which students had to choose and improve the quality while remaining sensitive to price. More than half of the children in the Denair Unified School District qualify for free or reduced price meals.

“We’re serving better food than ever,” Reid said. “We’ve been able to increase volume while reducing prices to stimulate growth.”

There are four diners under the Culinary Coyote banner, each of which rotates menu items daily:

  • The Hot Rod Café, which features burgers, hot dogs, popcorn chicken and biscuits, potato wedges and barbecue chicken sandwiches.
  • The Taste of Italy, which last week had two kinds of pizzas (pepperoni and cheese), baked ziti and buttery garlic bread sticks. Other choices include spaghetti and meatballs or lasagna.
  • The Taste of the Far East, where students can decide between chow mein, rice, stir fry veggies or Szechuan chicken. There also are fortune cookies, of course.
  • A Build Your Own Burrito Bar, a popular destination in the first weeks. Students select a meat (chicken or beef) or beans, then can add tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, peppers and olives as they wish.

Continue reading “Denair High’s New Culinary Coyote Lunch Menu Off to a Sensational Start With Students” »

School Begins Thursday, August 11, at all Denair Campuses

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Back to School 2016

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

School resumes Thursday, Aug. 11 in the Denair Unified School District with more than 1,200 students expected for classes across four campuses. School begins at 8 a.m. Class is over at 2:20 p.m. for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten students, 2:40 p.m. for children in grades 1 to 5, and 2:45 p.m. for all other students.

Four new principals will be in place in the district – Kara Backman at Denair High School, Kelly Beard at Denair Middle School, Lucy Zamora at Denair Elementary Charter Academy and Brian LaFountain at Denair Charter Academy.

Parents are invited to read the district’s handbook, then sign and return the acknowledgement form to the office at their child’s campus. The handbook contains district policies and outlines the rights and responsibilities of parents.

All community members are reminded to be especially cautious of children walking or riding their bicycles to and from campus beginning this week. Parents driving their children to school are advised to give themselves plenty of time because traffic is predictably heavy before and after school.

Parents with questions about busing should call 632-7514, ext. 1230 or 1218.

Breakfast and lunch are served at all school food service sites between 7:30 and 7:55 a.m. Parents with questions should call 632-9920, ext. 1243.