Tag Archives: Denair High School

DHS Tennis Focused on ‘Takin’ Care of Business’

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Saul Mendoza, Abi DIrkse, Andrew Knapp, Kaelee Martinez, Brian Dudley, Jasmine Yonan and Joel Thornton

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Bill Weber’s goal was to teach Denair High School tennis players enough about the game so they could compete for a Southern League championship this season. A little education about classic rock bands from the ’70s was a bonus.

Mission accomplished on both ends.

The Coyotes (12-3) battled for the top spot in the SL all spring before finishing second behind Ripon Christian High School (13-2) – a squad whose only two defeats came to Denair. The only things separating Denair from at least a piece of the league championship were two losses to Delhi, which finished third.

Weber is a longtime coach with a lengthy record of success at many levels. This is his first season at Denair and he said he especially enjoyed watching his players – some with limited competitive experience in tennis – blossom along the way.

His goal is to make the sport fun. To that end, he often incorporates music from his own high school days – the 1970s – into practices. This spring, the Coyotes were exposed to rock anthems from power bands like Boston, Kansas, REO Speedwagon and Queen.

As the year progressed, it was another classic song – “Takin’ Care of Business” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive – that seemed to best capture the spirit of the team. At the Southern League singles and doubles tournaments Thursday and Friday at Merced Junior College, the Coyotes will be sporting T-shirts with the song’s title on the back.

“It just kind of evolved. It fits us and the kids seem to enjoy that song,” Weber said. Continue reading “DHS Tennis Focused on ‘Takin’ Care of Business’” »

Denair High Alumnus Anthony Armas New Varsity Football Coach

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Anthony Armas

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

A familiar face will be pacing the sideline this fall at Denair High School. Anthony Armas, who once played for the Coyotes and later was an assistant coach, has been hired as Denair’s new varsity football coach.

Armas, 35, is a former lineman who graduated from Denair in 1997. He spent five years as a varsity assistant in Denair after earning his degree fromCalifornia State University, Stanislaus and has been an assistant coach at Pitman High School in Turlock since 2008. He also has been involved with the Denair Youth Football League. This will be Armas’ first head coaching job at the high school level.

“I’m a little nervous, but I think that will calm down once we get started,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s very exciting to be coming back to Denair.”

Armas replaces Ted Howze, who guided the Coyotes to a 3-7 record last fall in his only season as head coach. Howze resigned earlier this spring because he is moving to Stockton with his fiancée.

Armas was one of four men interviewed for the position – two from Stanislaus County and two from outside the region, said Athletic Director Darrin Allen. He said Armas’ “passion for the game” and “maturity” impressed the selection committee.

“I just like the way he interacts with kids. How he talks to them and he gets them to develop on the field,” said Allen, who coached Armas as a player and later worked alongside him as a varsity assistant.

“He was the reason I stayed out there as an assistant line coach when I was principal at the middle school. I knew then this guy was going to be a head coach. I saw the ability that he was meant to lead a team and a staff,” Allen said. Continue reading “Denair High Alumnus Anthony Armas New Varsity Football Coach” »

DHS Top Athlete Scholars Recognized

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Andrew Knapp and Kaelee Martinez

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Two of Denair High School’s top students were honored this week by the Southern League for their academic and athletic accomplishments.

Andrew Knapp and Kaelee Martinez have excelled in the classroom and as four-year members of the Coyotes’ sports teams, and have been actively involved with various school clubs and volunteering in the community.

Knapp carries a 4.34 grade-point average, ranking him first in Denair’s 82-member senior class. He led the Academic Decathlon team to a third-place finish in the Stanislaus County competition earlier this year, scoring the most points in school history. He also has played varsity tennis and soccer all four years, is a member of the county Leadership Academy, the high school Drama Club, is president of Denair Matters, volunteers at the We Care Men’s Shelter in Turlock and plays guitar at his church.

“I can say without hesitation that he is one of the finest students it has ever been my pleasure to teach,” said Paul Michaelis, a former Denair math teacher, Academic Decathlon adviser and tennis coach. “… Whether it is soccer or tennis, Andrew is the type of athlete that every coach wants to have on the team. He works hard to better himself in both the physical and mental sides of sports. He leads his team by example, putting in the extra time and work necessary to be successful.”

Knapp will major in biology and music at Fresno State University, and said his goal is to become a high school teacher.

“Andrew is diligent in the classroom and in all of his extracurricular activities. He strives for excellence in everything he does,” praised Denair High Principal Aaron Delworth.

Added teacher and Athletic Director Darrin Allen: “I look forward to seeing what he will accomplish in the future.” Continue reading “DHS Top Athlete Scholars Recognized” »

Bush and Delworth Assume New Administrative Roles in 2015-16

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Aaron Delworth and Michelle Bush

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Two veteran educators will move into different leadership roles in the next school year within the Denair Unified School District, which has launched a statewide search to fill the vacancies their new assignments will create.

Michelle Bush will take over as the senior director of curriculum and instruction, student support services and state preschool. For the past two years, she has been the principal at Denair Charter Academy.

Aaron Delworth will become the full-time principal at Denair Middle School. He has been principal at Denair High School and the middle school the past two years.

“These changes are made solely to enhance the effectiveness at each of our schools and across the district,” Superintendent Aaron Rosander said in a note to the staff.

Bush began teaching in the district in 1991 and previously was the principal at Denair Middle School for three years. She will replace Fawn Oliver, who plans to retire at the end of this school year after working in various administrative roles since 2001.

“Michelle’s many talents and skills will be put to powerful use in this new capacity,” Rosander said.

Delworth, a Denair graduate, has worked as a teacher and administrator in the district since 2004. The new role returns him exclusively to the middle school, where he served as principal from 2010-13.

“(He) has extensive experience at the middle school level. His full-time leadership at DMS will undoubtedly be welcomed and invaluable,” Rosander said.

New principals will be recruited for the high school and DCA, Rosander said, and are expected to be in place when the new school year begins in August.

Crash Survivor Delivers Powerful Message On Drinking And Driving

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July 17, 1994

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

July 17, 1994. It’s the day when the arc of Michelle Stevenson Fuller’s life was forever altered. The day that two of her Denair High classmates died and she was seriously injured. All were passengers in a car being driven by a drunken driver.

In the blink of an eye, so much changed, so much was lost.

Fuller’s scars – physical and emotional – remain. So does the white cross on Zeering Road, marking the site of the incident.

Friday morning, Fuller, now 38 and a mother of two, shared her story with students at her alma mater who were not yet born in 1994. Her speech was part of the school’s “Every 15 Minutes” presentation, which involved a simulated crash scene, multiple “deaths” and a memorial service to emotionally underscore the dangers of drinking and driving.

But there was nothing made up about Fuller’s example.

Not quite two months removed from graduation at Denair, she and some friends were at a party in Turlock on a typical summertime Saturday night. Music was playing. Teens flirted. And alcohol was readily available. Someone in the group knew of another party in Denair. So six teens piled into a four-seat Suzuki Sidekick with a girl who had been drinking.

“It was a solo accident; no one hit us,” Fuller said. “She lost control and overcorrected. The CHP estimated we were going 80 mph.”

The Sidekick rolled 2½ times and ended up against a tree. One of Fuller’s best friends was killed. So was a boy who was a junior and had jumped in the vehicle just to get a ride to the next party. Continue reading “Crash Survivor Delivers Powerful Message On Drinking And Driving” »