Tag Archives: Denair High School

DHS Valedictorians Reflect On High School Experiences

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Andrew Knapp, Brian Dudley, Anna Dirkse

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The Denair High School Class of 2015 will be honored May 29 at a graduation celebration. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. at Jack Lytton Stadium. Gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets are not required.

Anna Dirkse, Brian Dudley and Andrew Knapp will be the valedictorians. All three accumulated a 4.3 grade-point average in their four years at Denair – the highest in their class. Anna, Brian and Andrew recently took time to answer 10 questions about their high school experiences.

Question: What are the key things other students should know about your academic success and how you achieved it?

Anna: Some of the keys to my success have been my parents and my teachers. Both have pushed me to do my best and helped me to succeed.

Brian: My parents really pushed me to get A’s in my classes. Another thing that helped me go for the better grades was to get higher grades than my brother did throughout high school.

Andrew:  All I did was do what was asked of me. From there, I gained an interest in what I did through my teachers.  Everything else simply fell into place.

Q: How much time outside of class did you spend studying or doing homework?

Brian: It really depended on the time of year, but I would estimate at least two to three hours per night studying.

Andrew:  Depending on the time of year, I would study from less than one hour to around four.

Anna: I have never had to spend much time on homework. On a normal day, two hours at most. Continue reading “DHS Valedictorians Reflect On High School Experiences” »

DUSD Graduation Ceremony Information

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CoyoteGradHat

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Graduation season is upon us! Below is a comprehensive listing of all Denair Unified School District graduation ceremonies. None of the events require tickets for entry.

The Denair Charter Academy 8th Grade promotion ceremony will take place on Tuesday, May 26, 2015, at 6:00 pm, in the Denair Middle School Coyote Center. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

Denair Charter Academy will be will be presenting the Class of 2015 on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at 7:30 pm, at Jack Lytton Stadium. Gates open at 7:00 pm.

The Denair Middle School 8th Grade graduation will take place on Thursday, May 28, 2015, at 7:00 pm, at Jack Lytton Stadium. Gates open at 6:00 pm.

Denair High School will be presenting the Class of 2015 on Friday, May 29, 2015, at 7:30 pm, at Jack Lytton Stadium. Gates open at 6:00 pm.

DHS Staffing Adjusted to Reflect Enrollment Decline

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

No teachers are losing their jobs, but four instructors will have reduced class schedules in 2015-16 because of projected enrollment declines at Denair High School.

There are 305 students currently at the high school, but only 270 are expected on campus for the first day of the 2015-16 school year when it begins Aug. 12. That disappointing trend required Denair Unified School District trustees to vote unanimously Thursday night to pare back the number of classes offered. If enrollment picks up, some of the teaching hours and classes could be restored.

Superintendent Aaron Rosander stated, “While it’s unfortunate to layoff even partial teaching positions, this reduction is necessary due to a downtick in enrollment at the high school. Having said this, the overall enrollment trend for the District is beginning to show improvement. This should ultimately have a positive effect on Denair High School in future years”.

The district needed to reduce teaching hours by the equivalent of two full-time positions, or 12 classes, trustees were told. The resignation of a part-time Spanish teacher provided one period. The teaching loads of four other teachers were reduced by one, two or three periods each to make up the balance.

No subject was eliminated. Small reductions occurred in English, math and science, civics and economics, world history, PE, health, computer science and Spanish.

Denair High School continues to perform well overall. Its graduation rate is among the highest in Stanislaus County. And the school stood out in the California High School Exit Exam, or CAHSEE, results released this week. Continue reading “DHS Staffing Adjusted to Reflect Enrollment Decline” »

Brian Dudley Wins Southern League Tennis MVP

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Brian Dudley

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Denair’s Brian Dudley won the boys singles championship and was named the Southern League’s Most Valuable Player at the recent tennis tournament. Andrew Knapp and Abi Wilson brought the Coyotes a second title with their victory in mixed doubles.

Dudley, a senior, defeated Jake Van Vuren of Ripon Christian 6-2, 6-1 at the Merced College courts to extend his unbeaten record to 18-0 this season. He will be the Southern League’s top seed when the Sac-Joaquin Section individual tournament begins Thursday at Oak Park in Stockton.

Knapp, a senior, and Wilson, a sophomore, knocked off a team from Delhi to win their championship. The tournament was the first time this season the Denair duo had played mixed doubles this year. That came about after both suffered their first losses of the season in the semifinals of the singles tournament.

Like Dudley, Knapp and Wilson advanced to the Section tournament later this week in Stockton.

For the rest of the Coyotes, the season ended Monday with a 6-3 loss to Summerville in the first round of the Section team tournament. Dudley, Knapp and Wilson won their singles matches, but the Bears prevailed in all the other matches.

Denair (12-3) finished second behind Ripon Christian in the SL this spring.

DHS Graduation Rates Again Exceed State and County Averages

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Denair High School continues to perform well above the state and county averages in graduating its students, according to CA Graduation Statistics by the California Department of Education.

In 2014, 74 of 79 seniors graduated from Denair High, a rate of 93.7%. That compares to a statewide average of 80.4% and a Stanislaus County graduation rate of 82%.

“Student graduation rates reflect the dedication of our community and schools to the education and success of our students. No child left behind is not a platitude or vacant slogan at Denair schools but, rather, a practice and commitment to our students,” said Aaron Rosander, superintendent of the Denair Unified School District.

Denair has long been one of the high-achieving high schools in the county when measured by graduation rates and student performance. The rate was 98.7% (75 of 76) in 2013, 98.8% (84 of 85) in 2012 and 100% (74 of 74) in 2011.

“Denair High School, and particularly our learning director, tracks student progress very closely throughout the year,” said Principal Aaron Delworth. “We have been very pleased with our graduation rate over the years and will continue to strive a for 100% graduation rate.”

Many of Denair’s graduates attended public and private universities in California like University of California, Los Angeles, California State University, Stanislaus, California State University, Fresno and the University of the Pacific, while others have been accepted at prestigious colleges out of state. Continue reading “DHS Graduation Rates Again Exceed State and County Averages” »