Tag Archives: Denair High School

DHS to Compete in Academic Decathlon Competition

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SCOE Academic Decathlon Logo

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Months of intense study, Saturday cram sessions and practice tests are over for the Denair High School Academic Decathlon team. The 16 students are as prepared as they can be and enter the countywide competition expecting to continue an impressive legacy – Denair has won the small-school championship in Stanislaus County the past five years.

“We have high hopes,” said first-year coach Sean Pham.

The 35th annual countywide competition is a two-day series of oral interviews, speeches and tests revolving around this year’s theme of “Renewable Energy.”

Friday night, Denair and more than a dozen other teams will gather at Enochs High School in Modesto for the speech and interview portions of the competition. Three judges will talk individually with each team member. Saturday, everyone moves to Modesto High School for tests in math, language and literature, economics, science, social science, art and music.

The overall champion and runner-up regardless of enrollment advance to the state finals in March in Sacramento.

The members of Denair’s team are Brandon Bettencourt, Alexis Brantley, Jennifer Calderon, Jacklyn Gonzales, Noah Johnson, Ryan Kisner, Andrew Knapp, Louis Koehn, Carter Lawson, Shawn McVeigh, Eva Olivas, Jose Orozco, Alexis Padilla, Jordan Sandoval, Garrett Schults and David Sweeten.

The team has been practicing since before school started in August, Pham said. Denair is one of the few schools that set aside a period each day for Academic Decathlon students. The Coyotes also have cram sessions every other Saturday, where former students often return to serve as mentors. Continue reading “DHS to Compete in Academic Decathlon Competition” »

DHS Student Earns FFA State Degree

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Kenneth Carder

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Denair High School’s Kenneth Carder is the only member of this senior class who has earned his FFA State Degree. This ambitious student, who has been a member of Denair FFA since eighth grade, previously earned his Greenhand and Chapter Farmer Degrees.

At the 2012 fair, Kenneth won Yorkshire Breed Champion. He placed first in market class for his pig in his freshman and sophomore year, and for his cow during his sophomore year. He also made it to finals in his junior and sophomore year, for showmanship of his pig.

Kenneth is working this year on his FFA American Degree, which is not awarded until next year. Currently enrolled at Modesto Junior College in an Ag Computer Applications class, Kenneth plans to major in Animal Science and become a veterinarian.

Kenneth demonstrates all three circles of the agriculture education model. He is an excellent student in class, attends monthly FFA meetings, and has carried out a Supervised Agricultural Education Project (SAEP) in swine, each year. Students like Kenneth are great role-models to those looking to be involved in FFA.

Denair Sports Boosters Hosts Enchilada Drive-Thru

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DHS Sports Boosters Chicken Enchilada Drive-Thru

Submitted by Denair Sports Boosters

The Denair Sports Boosters will be holding a drive-thru Chicken Enchilada fundraiser on January 28, 2015, 4:30 pm-7:00 pm, at the Denair Middle School cafeteria.  Cost is $10.00.  Tickets are available in the Denair High School Office or by contacting Carissa Borba at (209) 410-3516.  Proceeds for this event will go towards paying spring sports umpires and referees.

Former Coyote Shawn Stuart Hired as DHS Baseball Coach

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DHS Baseball Jersey

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

One of Denair High School’s best baseball players in the past decade will return this spring to take over as varsity coach.

Shawn Stuart was a standout pitcher, infielder and outfielder for the Coyotes who graduated in 2007. He went on to star as a pitcher at Merced College and Long Beach State University before being drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 31st round in 2012. He spent two years in that organization’s minor-league system before deciding to leave pro baseball to pursue a teaching career.

“Teaching was always part of the plan. I knew I wanted to become a teacher. Obviously, I hoped it would be after a long pro career,” said Stuart, whose time in the minors was cut short by an arm injury.

He has one semester left in an online program offered by Fresno State to earn his teaching credential. He aspires to teach at multiple grade levels during his career, with a long-term goal of ending up on a college staff.

In Denair, he replaces Darrin Allen, the school’s athletic director and fill-in baseball coach last season when the Coyotes were 3-13.

Stuart plans to lean on his own network of former coaches and teammates for coaching advice as well as his own pro baseball experience. He helped during the pro offseason at Merced College and has coached youth baseball and basketball teams, but never a high school club.

“Practice begins in February. … We’re going to do the little things right. We might not have the most talent or big-name players from cities, but we’re going to do all the fundamentals,” he promised.

A right shoulder injury suffered in Stuart’s first year at Long Beach never quite healed, reducing his college fastball from the low 90s to the mid-80s by his final season in the Rockies’ system. Surrounded in the minors by younger players drafted much higher (and paid much more), he accepted his status as middle reliever and mentor to the kids. Continue reading “Former Coyote Shawn Stuart Hired as DHS Baseball Coach” »

Denair High Baseball Fields Need Your Help

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WorkdayFlyer

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The Denair High School Athletic Department will be holding  a work day at the baseball/softball fields on Saturday, January 31, 2015, from 9:00 am-3:00 pm.  Community Service hours will be available for Denair High School students.  There will be plenty do, so your help is needed in completing the many projects at the complex.