Tag Archives: Denair High School

DHS Students Show Off Wreath-Making Skills

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The offices of the principals and other administrators in the Denair Unified School District are more festive than ever this holiday season thanks to the students in the high school floral design class.

Last week, teacher Taylor Doo paired up her students with top officials in the district. Their assignment? Have the teens show off the skills they’ve learned this fall by leading the adults in a collaborative wreath-building exercise.

“I believe that the true level of mastery is when you can teach someone else your craft, skill, or trade,” explained Doo. “At some point in their career, they will have to teach others what they know. This is one way for the students to prepare for that. Also, I just thought how cool would it be for the roles to be reversed. Students think so highly of their teachers, but they also forget we are human, too. We are learners, too. We have the same struggles with gaining a new skill as they do.”

The fun project required each team to come up with a clever name that described the theme behind their wreaths, which began as rounded 8-inch metal frames. So were born the “Christmas Angels,” the “Ornaments,” the “Doo Crew,” the “Presents,” the “Snowflakes” and the “Reindeer.”

Students Courtney Frazier and Alexis Climer partnered with Principal Kelly Beard of Denair Elementary Charter Academy. They dubbed themselves the “Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Their wreath sported black and purple ribbons with some plastic skull ornaments Courtney attached with a glue gun. Not quite the holiday motif other teams strived for.

“We wanted to be different,” said Alexis, a junior.

Nearby, the “Presents” team of junior Hailee Padgett, freshman Nicole Johnson and Denair Charter Academy Principal David Naranjo were working on something a little more traditional. Their wreath consisted of crinkled purple ribbon with white “DUSD” letters attached.

Simple … and effective.

“I’m going to put it in my office,” said Naranjo. Continue reading “DHS Students Show Off Wreath-Making Skills” »

Denair High Earns County Recognition for Red Ribbon Week

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Denair High School was awarded second place among all high schools in Stanislaus County for its enthusiastic and persuasive programs associated with Red Ribbon Week on Oct. 23-27.

High school, middle school and elementary campuses were evaluated by officials from the county Office of Education, who made site visits. They used a point system that factored in student, staff and parental involvement as well as decorations and signs associated with Red Ribbon events.

Schools across the country celebrate Red Ribbon Week, which began in 1980 as a way to discourage drug use among children while promoting healthy behaviors. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan was one of the original proponents.

At Denair High, student members of the PHAST (Protecting Health and Slamming Tobacco) Club worked with staff advisor Melissa Treadwell to orchestrate an informative and fun series of events.

On Monday the 23rd, students arrived on campus to see the wreckage from a car accident. The scene was a sobering example of what can happen if people drink and drive, text and drive or are under the influence of drugs and drive. A video was shown to students the previous Friday introducing the topic.

The rest of the week included a drug dog demonstration, a presentation from Denair Fire Department, and plenty of music, games and prizes supporting the message. The California Highway Patrol used goggles worn by students sitting behind the wheel of a car that simulated what it was like to be drunk and try to drive.

“The kids did a great job coordinating everything,” Treadwell said.

Denair Principal Kara Backman said Red Ribbon Week is an important part of preparing teens for the future and teaching them to make good choices.

“We believe in providing opportunities for students through academic rigor and extracurricular activities,” she said. “We believe that awareness and grit help guide students emotional maturity toward a successful college and career path.”

Treadwell and five Denair PHAST Club members will be honored at a ceremony Dec. 12 at the county schools office in Modesto. Hughson finished first among high schools.

Denair Freshman Wins Section Cross Country Title

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Denair’s Pablo Flores won the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V cross country championship on Saturday and his teammate Julian Zavala finished third.

Flores covered the 2.1-mile course at Willow Hills Reservoir in 14 minutes, 3 seconds while Zavala was clocked in 14:50.

Denair sophomore Johnny Ibarra was 11th overall in his race, finishing the dirt and gravel course next to Folsom High School in 14:58.

Coyote head coach Matthew Groom said he was proud of all his runners.

“We had a great team this year,” he said. “Their attitudes were great and I am pleased with the effort they put out.  My next goal is to qualify a varsity runner for the Section meet. … I also want to thank (senior) Alex Flores for being the team captain over the past two years.  He showed tremendous leadership and everyone on the team looked up to him.”

Groom said Pablo Flores and Zavala have discussed possibly playing football next fall instead of running cross country. If they return, they and Ibarra likely will form the backbone of what could be a strong team in the Southern League.

He said Flores and Zavala could run varsity races in league and still be able to compete as sophomores in the invitational and Section meets, improving their chances of strong individual finishes.

The top varsity teams and individual qualifiers from the Section meet advance to the state championships in Fresno on Nov. 25.

Start Your Engines! Tractor Pull Returns to Denair on November 11

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It’s loud, it’s exciting and it’s coming back to Denair on Saturday night.

It’s the 2nd annual Denair FFA Boosters Tractor Pull, which begins at 5 p.m. at Jack Lytton Stadium.

Last year’s event drew more than 1,000 people. They were thoroughly entertained by drivers from up and down the Central Valley.

Tractor pulls involve multiple classes of vehicles – from antique tractors to modified, high-horsepower versions to souped up 4×4 pickups. Each tractor or truck is hooked up to a weighted sled. The farther the sled is pulled, the more the weight moves toward the front – making it more difficult to pull.

Competitors are scored on how far they can pull the sled.

The event is sanctioned and organized by the Valley Tractor Pullers Association.

Most important of all – the event is the single-biggest fundraiser in support of the Denair High FFA program and its 150 students. Last year’s event generated more than $20,000 – money that helps underwrite the entry costs for the county fair and other competitions, paid for four students to attend the national FFA convention in Indianapolis last month and will cover the cost of more teens to participate in the state convention in Anaheim next spring.

First-year ag teachers Taylor Doo, Nicole Hefner and John Hultgren also have big plans to renovate the school’s on-campus ag facilities, include the student farm. Saturday’s event will help with that.

“I’m told last year was phenomenal,” Doo said. “I wasn’t there, but the turnout was fantastic. There was a lot of community support.”

She said two $1,500 sponsorships still are available. Those interested should call the Denair High office at 632-9911 by 4 p.m. Thursday. The school is closed Friday in honor of the Veterans Day holiday.

Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door, and can be purchased from any FFA student.

There will be food and drinks available Saturday night. Also on sale will be wreaths created by students in the ag floral class, Christmas trees and pumpkins built in the ag mechanics and welding classes, and T-shirts designed by students in the ag leadership class.

Below is a short photo gallery from last years’ event.

Denair Football Coach: Better Days Are Ahead

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Anthony Armas believes it’s a very good sign that he had a number of football players who couldn’t wait to hit the weight room Monday.

Even though their season ended Friday night.

As it was much of the fall, Denair was competitive in a 27-21 loss to Waterford. It was the Coyotes’ fifth consecutive loss and dropped them to 2-8 overall and 1-6 in the Southern League.

But Armas thinks the experience gained by a very young team – which will lose only three senior starters – will pay off in 2018.

And it was those sophomores and juniors who led the charge into the weight room Monday.

“We have almost everybody coming back,” Armas said. “We’ll be bigger, faster and stronger with a year under their belt. This was our year where we took our lumps, but we have a lot of returning juniors and seniors who were starters.”

Armas is not naïve about the nature of the competition. “Three of the teams from our league are in the playoffs,” he said. But he also realizes if his players can correctly process and correct the mistakes they made this season, and gain weight and size, they have a chance to surprise some people next year.

Denair, it should be noted, is only one year removed from a magical 2016 season in which the Coyotes often had a 14-man roster, yet still made the playoffs.

Quick turnarounds are possible, especially with motivated players and coaches.

“I think the younger guys are ready to get after it,” Armas said. “I had a couple of kids who said they want to win league next year. Our juniors this year won a lot when they were sophomores. Our backfield will be good.”

Friday’s game against Waterford (4-6, 3-4) followed a familiar pattern for Denair. The Coyotes were tied 7-7 at halftime, but a fumble inside the 20-yard line killed one promising drive and a couple of costly mistakes on defense allowed Waterford to score on two long pass plays. Continue reading “Denair Football Coach: Better Days Are Ahead” »