

Desert Edge Community Quarterly
Winter 2022
Rigor, Relevance, Relationships
A Message from Principal Hann
Scorpion families,
Congratulations on successfully completing the Fall Semester! The faculty and staff at Desert Edge High School worked hard last semester to support your student in accomplishing his/her academic goals. We encouraged our students and teachers to rally around the theme of “Engaging in the Culture of Learning.'' Our incredible staff embraced this focus and provided our students with everything needed to grow socially and academically. Student engagement was visible every day in the classroom, as well as in athletics, clubs, and other extracurricular activities.
As we move into this new semester, we continue to need your support to ensure that your student produces nothing short of excellence. The routines and study habits your student puts in place this semester will be key to their success. I encourage you to continue to support them at home and in school as they strive for excellence. Thank you to the parents and students that contributed feedback for our DEHS Site Goals. I have attached them HERE for your reference. Your continued support for your students and our school community will help us to achieve these goals. We have several parent events planned for January. Our district is hosting an Opioid Awareness Event at Millennium High School on January 17. We will be hosting our Scorpion Showcase on January 24 for our incoming Freshman. We hope to see you there!
As we begin 2023, I would like to express my gratitude for all the support that this community has given me as I lead Desert Edge High School. I am honored that you entrust me to engage your students in our culture of learning and impact their academic success. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of this community. Whatever your new year brings, I wish you happiness, peace, and good health.
Wishing you and your family all the best!
Gretchen Hann
Principal
From the Counseling Department
Attention Class of 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026!
Google classroom is a great way for students to stay connected and keep up to date with important information. When counselors have important information for students to know, google classroom is the first spot to go! When a student joins their class' google classroom, they can find information on West-MEC, the ACES program, college, scholarship information, and more! If interested, have your student reach out to their counselor for the 'join code'!
2023-2024 Course Registration
Counselors have met with current juniors to sign up for 2023-2024 classes. In January, current freshman and sophomores will meet with their counselors to choose their classes for next year. If you or your student have questions on any courses when deciding what classes to take, please refer to the Agua Fria District Course Description Book here.
January Course Registration Dates Are As Follows:
Future Sophomores
January 17 - Mrs. Davis
January 18 - Ms. Winkler
January 19 - Mrs. Padilla
Future Juniors
January 23 - Mrs. Fletcher
January 24 - Mr. Borys
January 25 - Ms. Wilfong
January 26 - Mrs. Flores
Class Visits and Student Meetings
Throughout the semester, the counseling team visited all freshman and sophomore English classes to discuss high school expectations, credits, high school opportunities, and more. During this time, students were given a plethora of information regarding the DE High School experience and what is expected of them for graduation. If your student ever has a question regarding credits, graduation requirements, etc, they are welcome to set up a meeting with their counselor at any time. Additionally, all counselors have met with their junior and senior students one on one to discuss credits, future plans, and more. We will continue to meet with all students throughout the year.
West-MEC
Is your student interested in getting hands-on experience in a career field of their choice? If so, West-MEC is a great opportunity for all junior and senior students. Through West-MEC, students participate in classes that allow them to learn more about their interested career, as well as give them experience in the field before graduating from high school. APPLICATIONS ARE DUE December 21st. Students should reach out to their counselor if they have any questions about West-MEC.
Credit Recovery Opportunities
If a student did not earn credit for a class at any point in their high school career, they have the opportunity to recover that credit at any time. Students are able to recover class credit through an online program called Edgenuity. Edgenuity provides a self-paced platform for students to complete the class at their own pace, 24/7 during the school year. If a student is interested in recovering a class during the school year, they should see their counselor to get signed up. Although Edgenuity is an option during the school year, students will also have the opportunity to attend summer school as well. Information on summer school will be released in the spring.
After School Rise Lab
For any students who are recovering credit through Edgenuity in Rise Lab or outside of the school day, we offer After School Rise Lab every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:15-4pm in the Innovation Lounge. This is an opportunity for students to have extra time to make progress in those classes, as well as a quiet space to complete the Edgenuity exams. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Hurley at ahurley@aguafria.org.
FAFSA for Seniors
Seniors, if you haven't already done so, fill out your FAFSA! Filling out your FAFSA will help give you loans, grants, and more in College. You can apply here: FAFSA application
PSAT scores
If your student took the PSAT this fall, scores are now available for students to view! Students received an email on December 5th from College Board. In that email, there is an access code that your student will use to view their score on the College Board website. If they do not already have a College Board account, they will need to create one in order to view their score.
ACT Prep
This spring, all junior students will take the ACT. To help your student prepare for the ACT, visit the link below for ACT prep books, study guides, and tutoring opportunities. In the spring semester, look out for info on our ACT bootcamp, a great opportunity for students to get more practice here at school to help prepare for the ACT. ACT Prep Guide
Ms. Bebawi (A-C) cbebawi@aguafria.org
Mrs. Bethel (D - H) cbethel@aguafria.org
Ms. O'Shaughnessy (I-N) eoshaughnessy@aguafria.org
Mrs. Padilla (O-R) ipadilla@aguafria.org
Ms. Hurley (S-Z) ahurley@aguafria.org
Yearbook
We have a lot of exciting things happening with the yearbook this year! This quarter, we have spent a lot of time dedicated to learning all about the best ways to design page layouts, taking photos, and learning how to collaborate with each other to produce our best yearbook yet! Next quarter, we will be buckling down to get the yearbook finished by the end of March.
Seniors, you have a few dates to remember coming up!
January 11th - Senior Portraits. Grads photography will be on campus taking senior portraits for those of you who have not gotten yours done yet. Seniors who need to have their picture taken will receive an email invite with the location and time.
January 15th - The LAST day to purchase and submit senior ads!
February 8th - Senior class panoramic. More information will be coming on this after winter break, but save the date!!!
Yearbooks are currently $60 until January 1st! Get yours today before prices go up in January.
Want to have your photos featured in the yearbook? Go to HJ E-Share and enter the code “descorpions” to submit your photos for a chance to have them in the yearbook!*
*By submitting your photos to the yearbook you are giving permission to the edge yearbook to use them in the 22/23 yearbook.
From the College & Career Center
It is so hard to believe that the end of our first semester is here, and we are already halfway through this school year. This semester there has been full of hard work, many accomplishments, and achievements that we are excited to share. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Application opened for seniors on October 1, 2022. Students and families were invited and attended a FAFSA Application Workshop where financial aid officers worked together with students and families completing and submitting FAFSA applications. Representatives from trade schools, modeling and talent agencies, advanced computer technology programs and automotive courses have been meeting with students, sharing information, and discussing future career opportunities that these programs have to offer. Our university and community college recruiters have been on campus providing information, working with our students on completing their college applications and providing scholarship opportunities. Students and families attended our combined district college and career fair where there were over seventy five vendors, universities, military, community colleges and employers. Workshops were held which provided helpful materials in planning, how to pay for college, NCAA and others. As we reflect upon our first semester, we look forward to continuing to work together in providing opportunities, cultivating relationships, and developing character. accomplishing success and striving for college and career ready with our students, their families and within our community.
As always, if you need anything, feel free to reach out to me directly at kniko@aguafria.org
News from DE Athletics
Girls Basketball
The Varsity Girl’s Basketball team will be participating in a winter tournament at Raymond Kellis HS on December 29 & 30. The next home games for all levels the program will be Thursday, January 12th against Verrado.
Girls Soccer
Girls soccer is off to a great start! The ladies are 2 and 1 in December. The varsity team is looking forward to their winter tournament at Independence High School! Come out and support our growing program!
Spring Sports Tryouts
Spring Sports Tryouts begin February 6. If your student is interested in trying out, all paperwork and the physical must be completed prior to attending any conditioning or tryouts.
Spring Sports Include:
- Baseball
- Softball
- Track & Field
- Tennis - Boys & Girls
- Beach Volleyball
- Boys Volleyball
- Girls Flag Football
Athletic Eligibility
Keep in mind our student-athletes must be academically eligible to participate in athletic competitions. We run several grade checks to ensure students are meeting those requirements. Each grading period a report will be used to determine eligibility. Students who are failing any class(es) on the date of grade reports, will face a one-week minimum sit period. After that week, grades will be re-checked. If the student is passing the class they were failing, they are eligible. If they are still failing, they remain out until the grade is passing and the Athletic Department verifies the grades. It is important that your student contact Mr. Linn or Mrs. Keanini for verification. Please see the Athletic Eligibility calendar below for more information pertaining to Athletic Eligibility periods.
1st Semester Grades: December 23, 2022
- Mandatory Sit Week: December 24-30
3rd Quarter Progress: February 10, 2023
- Mandatory Sit Week: February 11-17
3rd Quarter Grades: March 10, 2023
- Mandatory Sit Week: March 11-17
4th Quarter Progress: April 21, 2023
- Mandatory Sit Week: April 22-28
2nd Semester Grades: May 25, 2023
- Credit Evaluation for 2023-24 School Year
Get all your DE Athletics information here: https://linktr.ee/dehsathletics
From the Library
The DE Library continues to add resources and would like to add more patrons, too!
Students can view Library resources at:
bit.ly/DEDestinyDiscover - books on the Library shelves
bit.ly/DESora - ebooks and audiobooks through OverDrive/Sora app
Audiobooks, ebooks, magazines, music, videos and more available through the Phoenix Public Library. Get your ecard at bit.ly/ecardreg
For the first month of 2nd quarter,
Scorpions checked out 320 ebooks and audiobooks in Sora, and 677 Library books.
The Library staff for the district works together to purchase appropriate and relevant young adult titles in Sora. Over 50 titles (ebooks and audiobooks) have been added.
The Desert Edge Library continues to receive books through a monthly subscription for our Library shelves.
We will continue to add titles to Sora and our shelves. Students are encouraged to be part of the process by requesting titles using the Ask the Librarian form.
Please view the DE Library’s Circulation Policies. Overdue notices are emailed to students and parents every Monday to assist students in adhering to the Circulation policies.
Winter break is a great time to cozy up with a great read. With campus closed for Winter break, students are encouraged to check out titles in Sora.
Upcoming Events and Reading Promotions:
Best Young Adult Books of 2022 as determined by Kirkus Review
National Science Fiction Day on Janurary 2
Martin Luther King Day and books on the Civil Right movement on January 16
New Year, New Relationships
Edge Extension: The Library is providing various activities during Edge Extension.
Mondays - Coloring, Community Puzzle or SSR
Thursdays - MakerSpace, creative activity varies weekly
Fridays - All Fun and Games
The Library is available before school and during lunch. Teachers can also give students passes to visit the library during class time. Stay informed about Library promotions and resources through Instagram @de_scorpions_read
Student Government
Student Government returned from Fall Break ready to tackle our annual charity events. We started with Costumes for Charity where DE students can wear a costume for a $2 donation. We raised $578.25.
We quickly transitioned to our annual Thanksgiving Drive. To kick off the drive, Student Government members, along with DE’s National Honor Society, completed a service project at Feed My Starving Children. StuGo helped pack 140 boxes containing 30, 240 meals.
On campus, each 3rd hour teacher had a “naked” turkey on their door. Students and staff could donate to purchase feathers to “dress” their turkey. Pilgrim hats and cornucopias were available for purchase to sabotage other classes. Students could also bring in canned goods to trade for feathers. These items were collected and donated to the Agua Fria Food Bank, on behalf of the DE Key Club. We were able to raise $985.25 and 672 canned items.
In total, DE students raised $1563.50, which was gifted right back to our own students to help them and their families through the holidays.
We also hosted the second blood drive of the school year. We were able to get even more donations. We're grateful to our students, parents, and staff for donating and helping us help our community.
StuGo welcomed in the Winter Sports with our spirit week and assembly during the week if November 28th. Students were invited to dress up in their holiday pajamas for Polar Express Monday, Hawaiian gear for Holidays in Hawaii on Tuesday, and ugly sweaters for Sweater Weather Wednesday. Throw down Thursday saw the halls filled with various colors to represent the different classes, and the week ended with Frozen Friday, our traditional white out for the assembly.
Student Government ended the semester by attending the Disneyland "Teamwork the Disneyway" Leadership Conference where the members learned new ways to take an organization from functioning to high functioning.
We hope everyone has a fun and relaxing Winter Break with family and friends. We look forward to hosting our annual Winter Chill rollerskating event in February.
We will also be hosting our last blood drive of the year in March. We earned Gold Status for our work last year. We're hoping to earn Vitalant's Platinum award but truly hope to continue to help our community. We can't do it without you though. Please consider donating
Desert Edge High School - By Department
State Seal of Arts Proficiency
The Conservatory is excited to announce that 40 seniors have applied to receive honors recognition at graduation through the State Seal of Arts Proficiency at graduation. The state seal is a tremendous honor. It celebrates students who demonstrate high levels of proficiency in the Arizona Arts Education Standards through personal expression and creative experiences in arts education programs, identifies pathways of artistic literacy that cultivate skills for 21st century success, and prepares students for college and career readiness.
Students who complete the state seal requirements will be recognized at graduation. Each recipient will receive Fine Arts Honors Cords, the Arizona State Seal of Arts Proficiency permanently affixed to the graduates diploma, a notation will be in the student artist’s transcript as a state diploma seal recipient, and the student will be recognized at senior honors night.
Currently our 40 Conservatory students are in process or have completed their capstone projects and are participating in 80 hours of fine arts extra curricular activities. These projects are unique and professional . It is amazing to witness our students' growth, creativity, voice, and leadership. All capstones and extra curricular hours are due by April 3, 2023.
Conservatory Collage Concert
On February 9, 2023 The Conservatory will host a unique performance titled, “Colors.” This performance is taking a nontraditional approach to performance art by combining Performing and Visual Arts all at once on one stage. The entire Performing Arts Center will be action packed full of movement, sound, and color. There will be a myriad of transitions and directional shifts full of energy and artistic expression. Audiences will experience our Conservatory Band, Choir, Dance, Theatre, perform in sequence with Visual Artists creating live paintings and sculptures to express the colors of performance. We hope you join us for this truly innovative approach to performance art. This show will truly be a colorful experience!
Please be on the lookout for future ticketing information. All proceeds from the performance will help establish a scholarship fund for our Conservatory graduates.
Agua Fria High School District Fine Arts Showcase
On March 4, 2023, from 9-2:30 pm, The Conservatory Performing and Visual student artists will perform and exhibit artwork with student artists from across our district at the annual Agua Fria High School District Fine Arts Showcase. This year Verrado High School is hosting the community arts event. The Showcase is a free public event open to all community members. There will be dance, instrumental music, theater performance, vocal music, and color guard, alongside a large visual arts gallery featuring painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture. Food trucks and local vendors will also be available at the community event.
The Conservatory Scholarship Fund
The Conservatory would like to increase recognition for our students' artistic achievements by establishing 5 annual scholarships for seniors graduating from Band, Choir, Dance, Theatre, and Visual Arts. In addition, any funding will improve incentives for our student artists and assist in the development of funding for future community arts events. Your financial gift will support our vision. Please click HERE
Fine Arts
Band
Starting in January, the Instrumental Department of the Conservatory will be shifting gears as we focus on the D.E.J. (Desert Edge Jazz), our string orchestra, and the concert bands. Additionally, the Winterguard (flagline) and the Indoor Percussion will begin their competitive seasons with their first performance the middle of February.
Finally, the Conservatory of Fine Arts will be presenting our first Collage Concert featuring all the disciplines of fine arts offered at Desert Edge. Band, Choir, Theater, Dance, and Visual Arts will present a fluid performance February 9th in our auditorium. The Dr. Runyan Innovation Grant will sponsor the majority of this performance.
Choir
The Choir department had a very busy 2nd quarter preparing for what turned out to be two sold out shows on Dec 1 & 2. Featured were Beginning Choir, Tenor/Bass Choir, Treble Choir, Show Choir, Concert Choir and both Varsity groups as well as student soloists, conductors, instrumentalists, selected AESD honors students, and emcees.
A small group of students gave of their time to perform at AESD's "Cookies with Santa" at Desert Star on December 6. Thank you to Dr. Hargrove and Principal Worthington for inviting us!
On Dec. 19, approximately 40 students from Show Choir and Concert Choir sang traditional holiday carols at four elementary feeder and the AFUHSD office to spread music and cheer throughout our community.
CALENDAR ALERT: Spring concerts: May 9 & 10 at 7:00 PM. (Doors open at 6:30) To avoid missing out, please purchase your tickets for our Spring Concerts in advance at the bookstore in April . They will be available for choir students and families one week before opening up to the public (approximately one month before our shows). Tickets for this event will be $5.00 and will not be sold at the door.
Dance
Our Winter Dance Concert was Outstanding and our dancers shined! We had a sold out show Friday night and sold 1,300 tickets in three nights. The Scorpion dance department is continuing in its success in its 18th year of existence.
This is the 5th year in a row that my Performance Dancers have been selected as featured student artists in the State ESSA Conference. We did a video submission of a piece I choreographed for my performance dance students that is featured in our Winter Dance Concert. I am so proud and happy to announce that our dance program will be featured in the ESSA Conference again this year. The Scorpion Dance Company continues to shine and represent Desert Edge High School and the Agua Fria Union High School District to the highest level of excellence.
Visual Arts
Visual Arts has had a busy Second Quarter further developing artistic literacy through art making. All art students sculpted, painted, designed, and developed drawings this quarter. Student artists continued to arrange line, shape, color, value, texture, form, and space to develop individualized compositions. Mr. Galto and Mr. Williams have witnessed tremendous artistic growth through student developed creative problem solving strategies, and students continue their push to develop stronger visual compositions.
Another huge success is that all art students have designed and established a digital portfolio. The portfolio is a student designed website where student artists document their artistic process, research, and display final compositions. The portfolio is a great professional tool that can be used for future job and or college applications. Please take a moment and ask to see your student artists digital portfolio.
Agriscience
Ag 1 classes also learned about a long held tradition in agriculture classes across the country - the FFA Creed. We studied what each part of the Creed means as well as how to stand a deliver those inspiring words! We then launched into learning all things livestock - from kids to foals and how to select a good livestock animal.
Ag 2 classes receive Biology credit and focused heavily on some life science concepts such as DNA, Genetics and Protein Synthesis. We’ve just finished out the semester with students earning their OSHA 10 Ag Certifications- hard work for sure!
Ag 3 & 4 classes got the plasma software and table up and running - new software brought a steep learning curve - but they mastered it quickly - resulting in some pretty cool - metal Christmas ornaments. Towards the end of the semester we tried our skills at Floriculture - from flower arranging to boutonnières and dish gardens. We’re looking forward to a busy 3rd quarter as our FFA members head to region and state competitions in many areas from Ag Mechanics to Food Science, Floriculture, Ag Sales, Livestock and Veterinary Skills. We also have students working hard on their Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) such as welding projects, livestock projects for Maricopa County Fair, Greenhouse crops and keeping our chicken coops running as efficiently as possible.
Our FFA Chapter had a busy 2nd quarter as we visited the Avondale Senior Center - were we deliver the eggs from our school Coops - to provide seniors in our community with some nutritious protein! We also had two great networking opportunities at our Halloween and Christmas parties - many laughs, snacks and new friends - finding a common love of the Ag Pathway.
Graphic Design
We have been learning some exciting stuff in graphic design during the second quarter! We dove right into learning how to work in Adobe Illustrator and got to really explore the program. Some notable projects from this quarter include:
Copyright Infographic Posters - Students took the information they learned about copyright this quarter and created an infographic in Adobe Illustrator
Create Your Own Color Wheel - During our unit on color, students used Adobe Illustrator to create their own color wheel. This helped them learn how to read the color wheel which is very important to know in order to build color palettes - a very important piece of graphic design!
Design a Logo - Students were given the chance to walk through the creative process for designing a logo. They were each given a fictional company to design a logo for. They were then tasked with creating questions to ask their client (Miss Goebel) during a design brief. After, the students took the answers they had gotten during the design brief to develop three sketches. Then, it was time to move to the computers to design their final logo!
Next quarter, we are going to focus on learning a third program, Adobe InDesign. This program is great for publication design such as newspapers, magazines, and general page layout. We have some exciting projects planned to really practice our skill in InDesign! By the end of the quarter, students should be able to have an entry level understanding of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Sports Medicine/HOSA
It was definitely a busy quarter in the Sports Medicine Program at Desert Edge. Both Levels worked to perfect skills that they will be able to use if someone were to get hurt over the holidays
- Sports Med 1 Students focused on the leg during this quarter. Students learned the basic anatomy of the knee and ankle, then they progressed to figuring out the common signs and symptoms of common injuries. We finished the unit by learning and perfecting ankle tape jobs and knee compression wraps
- Sports Med 2 The 2nd Quarter was all about injury evaluation. Students learned how a doctor evaluates orthopedic injuries of the shoulder and knee. They were able to get hands on practice and even got the chance to perform mock evaluations on Cujo
DETV
During 2nd quarter the Video 1 classes covered podcasts, news packages, interviews, commercials, public service announcements and more. After break these students will dive into music videos, news programs, and documentaries.
The Video 2 & 3 students are working hard on DETV every week. They are also gearing up for the West Valley Festival and Skills USA AZ Regional and State competitions taking place this spring. We are also surprising teachers with DETV Teacher of the Week and you can only see it on social media!
Please check us out on our Youtube Channel!
Fan us on Facebook!
DESERT EDGE HIGH SCHOOL BY DEPARTMENT
English Department
Freshman have been studying the Dystopian novel Anthem by Ayn Rand and created a digital movie interpretation for their final projects. They also compared and contrasted the novel with a movie of the same genre to demonstrate a deep understanding of the characteristics of Dystopian literature.
In English 2, students began Unit 2 Moving Forward and researched the background of Night, a memoir written by Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor. Students conducted a WebQuest on the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” and the history of the Holocaust. Students are working toward an argumentative essay.
Junior students read and discussed the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. They synthesized information from the text along with what they already knew about the Harlem Renaissance to reach a deeper understanding about the play. We also read, “The Old Cabin." By reading this text with A Raisin in the Sun, it helped students explore how the concept of home has changed for African Americans throughout the history of our nation.
English 4 students read Beowulf, an epic poem about an ancient hero who fights against a vicious monster to protect a kingdom. Students paraphrased the poem and completed various activities to help them comprehend it. They are now working on their narrative writing projects to end the unit.
AP Lit and Comp is finishing up Unit 3 “Drama 1” by reading the play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. They will watch the film and take a final unit test on their comprehension of the dramatic elements of the play.
AP Language & Composition finished their argumentative unit and have begun exploring the world of rhetorical analysis with pieces from JFK, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. Students are learning about writing a precis, annotating and drawing conclusions about an author’s approach to delivering their message. We will continue this topic into the second semester in preparation for the AP exam.
In the Reading classes, students focused on comprehension skills such as central ideas, author's point of view, and synthesizing information. Students read independently with a focus on books that were fiction. Overall, many students in the Read 180 program increased their reading levels substantially. It was an amazing semester full of learning, growth, and fun!
Intermediate SEI has been working on writing a formal summary about an article on teen sleep.
Basic SEI has been working on writing a personal narrative about the origin of their name.
Exceptional Student Services Department
This quarter has been fast-paced and action packed for Life Skills West! In October, we joined Mrs. Thompson's Key Club members to attend the State Fair for their annual Kids' Day at The Fair. Everyone enjoyed the rides, petting zoo, and getting fried fair goodies! In November, there was plenty going on with the class going bowling at Uptown Alley and even volunteering our time at a garden in Phoenix. The icing on the cake was taking home 1st place in the 4th annual Unified Soccer Tournament!! After coming in 2nd place last year, it was a grand moment for the kids to relish raising the trophy. Finally, in December the class enjoyed the district annual Holiday Dance, went hiking in the White Tanks, and went to the AZ Science Center to end the year.
International Languages Department
Spanish 1 students learned how to conjugate regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs and the irregular verb estar. Students also learned that nouns have a gender in Spanish and all sentences need to agree on gender and number. They also learned that adjectives can be singular or plural.
In the second semester students will learn plurals of adjectives as well as stem changing verbs. Students will also learn the verb ir and use it to talk about leisure activities, feelings, and places. They will also learn about possessive adjectives and the present progressive verb tense.
Spanish 2 students were extremely busy second semester learning how to describe their daily routine using reflexive verbs. Students described how they got ready for a special event like a wedding, sporting event, or rehearsal. To demonstrate their understanding students created a vlog demonstrating their routine to get ready for school. Students had fun using their social media skills to create an assignment for school.
After our wonderful thanksgiving break students were introduced to preterite, one of the two past tenses we will be learning this school year. Students talked, wrote and shared about their past shopping experiences and what they did last weekend. Second semester students will continue to learn how to conjugate more verbs in the preterite tense as well as learn about the imperfect tense that is used to describe past repetitive actions. We have a lot to look forward to next semester as students become more confident and proficient in Spanish.
Spanish 3 Honors students were busy in the second quarter learning everything about art. Art comes in all different forms and they were able to learn about the performing arts, famous art sculptures and painters. As a continuation of Spanish 2 students refreshed their skills and knowledge of the two past tenses we have in Spanish: Preterite and Imperfect. I have to say students were happy to share about past experiences of visiting art galleries, museums or live events so we created our own gallery in our classrooms with their own remake of famous painters like Picasso, Diego Rivera, Salvador Dali, and Francisco de Goya. I do have to share that we have some talented artists here at Desert Edge. Moving forward to our next unit we transitioned into how to maintain lifestyle. Students learned and practiced with their classmates how to give advice, recommendations, and suggestions on what to do when feeling ill. They viewed a video on a home remedy to cure the common cold and discussed some home remedies that work for their families that have become a tradition in their household. Along with this unit students learned the subjunctive to form these sentences. They are practicing conjugating all six verbs in the subjunctive tense and creating their sentences. This is something that we will carry over to the second semester with more practice and time to process the new material.
AP- Students have learned what constitutes a family in the different societies and the challenges they have to face in today's world. The influence of language and cultures on identity. The influence of beauty and art. In these units students chose from one of the ten beauties of Latin America and created a poster presenting and creating their own painting/drawing. Students have learned different writing, speaking and reading skills through the units to be successful on their AP exam.
For the second semester, we will learn how science and technology affects our lives, factors that also impact the quality of life, and about environmental, political and societal challenges.
Math Department
Algebra Extensions Algebra Extensions learned about solving equations, number lines, inequalities, and linear equations earlier this semester. They are finishing the semester strong learning how to use area models to get them ready for quadratic equations next semester.
Algebra I During the second quarter, classes started writing equations in slope intercept form given different types of information. We moved on to creating scatter plots and talking about correlation and causation. After that, we moved onto solving inequalities right before Thanksgiving break. After the break, we focused on graphing Inequalities in two variables. Finally, we finished off working with systems of equations. Third quarter will bring new challenges for our Algebra students. We will start with simplifying radicals and work our way to operations with polynomials.
In Geometry, we covered distance, basic geometric structures (points, lines, planes, etc.), triangles and their properties, and transformations (translation, rotation, reflection, and dilation). Next quarter, we will cover quadrilaterals, 2D wires and 3D area and volume, and, time permitting, properties of circles (tangents, secants, central angles, etc).
Algebra 2 covered a variety of topics in the first semester. Our team covered relations and functions, linear equations and inequalities, Quadratic Functions, Polynomials and Polynomial Functions. In quarter 3 we will be getting into the heart of the course starting all new content including Exponential, Logarithmic, Rational and Radical Functions.
In Algebra 3, we covered properties of polynomials including graphs, properties of exponents and logarithms including their graphs, compound functions, and less common functions like piecewise, absolute value, and floor and ceiling functions. I plan to cover conics, radical and rational functions and their graphs, and, time permitting, matrices.
In Financial Literacy we covered the beginnings of working and managing finances. We began the semester working on resumes and setting career goals. Following that, we learned about budgeting and different budget strategies. To finish up the semester we learned about different kinds of savings accounts. Our students have been able to make decisions on where to save their money that best fits their needs.
Physical Education Department
All of our classes have recently completed physical fitness testing and other performance assessments. It is so exciting and rewarding to see our students improve upon their pretest scores and set new personal records!!
Personal Development classes and Sports & Physical Fitness classes have played team handball, basketball, indoor soccer, kickball, floor hockey, and dancing. The health units covered in Personal Development have been nutrition, body weight and composition, physical fitness, and body image.
The Lifetime Fitness class went for a morning hike at Skyline Regional Park in November. The weather was perfect and many students had a great first experience hiking in that park. Thank you to our school counselor Ashley Hurley and our school social worker Toni Kee for joining us on the hike!
Our Unified Sports class took home the championship in their soccer tournament! The class also recently hiked at the White Tank Mountain Regional Park. The class is currently preparing for a football tournament in January.
We also want to acknowledge our students of the month for the past few months: Graciella Aderungboye, Tyler Crossman, Eron Grant, Adison Harrell, Grace Hayden, and Elijah Torres.
- Graciella Aderungboye (Mrs. Amenhauser's class) is a great role model for others. She always holds the door for her class. She strives to do better in anything she does.
- Tyler Crossman (Coach Elias' class). Tyler always arrives early to make sure he can do his warm ups. He is one of the hardest workers in the room and has improved so much during the semester. Both his hang clean and bench press improved by 15 lbs this semester and his front squat improved by 45 lbs. Tyler also does an amazing job of making sure others are doing exercises correctly and is a great role model for others.
- Eron Grant (Mr. Phipp's class) constantly exhibits outstanding participation and sportsmanship. He works hard in class and is very respectful.
- Adison Harrell (Mrs. Amenhauser's class) is very competitive and works hard in Personal Development. She is not afraid to take a risk.
- Grace Hayden (Coach Behnke's class) comes prepared every day to give her best effort. She always pushes herself to do more and strives for improvement.
- Elijah Torres (Coach Borst's class) is always ready to learn and play the sport we are doing that week. He is competitive and always has a good attitude.
We hope our students continue to be physically active over the break! We wish you all a healthy and joyous winter break!!
Science Department
Principles of Science and Biology learned about and built models of DNA (the blueprint of life) out of colored marshmallows, toothpicks and Twizzlers. Once familiar with the structure they found out how you go from a strand of DNA to proteins, which build us! Students were able to experience/see cell functions through lab exercises such as the floating leaf disc lab of photosynthesis and a muscular failure lab in cellular respiration.
Physical Science was putting a lot of "work" into forces and energy. They created homopolar motors, catapults, volcanoes or rockets to demonstrate energy transformation. Physics classes calculated their power output while doing push ups and running. They were full of "energy"!
Chemistry students learned how elements bond together to make compounds and molecules and how those compounds can react to make new compounds. They just completed a lab practical where they had to determine what types of bonds are present in different molecules and determine the properties of those bonds by testing conductivity, solubility, and malleability. Students had all sorts of "reactions" to these fun activities!
Environmental Science students analyzed how all life on the planet is interconnected and how a change or imbalance to one species can affect the rest of the ecosystem. Our last topic dealt with concerns surrounding the future of the human population. They collected, graphed, and interpreted data such as infant mortality rates that correlated with fertility rates around the world. One key takeaway is that fertility rates are dropping around the world as countries develop which means that the population will eventually level out at around 10 billion.
AP Environmental Science covered much of the same topics but also dove into weather patterns, soil, and agriculture. Students modeled out various ways of growing food and the consequences of each method. Feeding the world is no easy task but farmers are finding innovative ways to do it more sustainably. Thank you farmers!
Social Studies Department
Our World History students have continued improving their ability to use historical thinking skills when studying global events. This quarter we applied the skill of argumentation, with claims and evidence, and comparison to the major turning points and revolutionary events surrounding the Protestant Reformation, the Age of Exploration, and recently the empowering philosophies of the Enlightenment. We coupled geography and argumentation to analyze the impact European nations had on native American and African societies, along with the creation of global trade established through the Columbian Exchange and Atlantic Systems. We fanned the flames of European protest and injustice through the printing press, the use of vernacular, and a strong humanistic sense of self-learning. In these last few weeks, students have been comparing the roles of government within monarchies and democratic systems while applying the Enlightenment ideas of Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau to the motivations for new governments within the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions. Students showed great success this quarter. We look forward to seeing them master their historical thinking skills in the second semester.
In AP World History students analyzed the methods land and sea-based empires used to maintain and legitimize their authority. Students sourced primary and secondary documents to discover that empires relied on gunpowder and the recruitment of military professionals from subjected populations and bureaucratic elites. The art of argumentative writing was a major focus this quarter as students worked toward mastering the skills of free-response questions and document-based essays. The first of these two writing assessments required students to break down historical sources on how religion, art, and architecture supported the governments of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires of Isalm, along with the Qing Empire of East Asia. In these final weeks, students have analyzed the development of European maritime empires and the impacts colonization, global trade, and forced labor systems had on Atlantic societies. Students showed proficiency on the document-based essay as they proved their knowledge and argumentative writing skills through a timed essay. As a follow-up to the learning and to reinforce their historical thinking skills students are revising their essays by aligning their writing to the College board rubrics.
Our American/Arizona History classes continued working on developing students' content knowledge and skills. Through this quarter we hit crucial changes in America's timeline as we worked on the causes and effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction Eras. This time period allowed us to look into the diversity within US history and its long-term impact on the country. Students were also able to see how America jumped into the modern age with the Industrial Revolution. We examined the business practices of famous industrialists like John D Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Andrew Carnegie to uncover their motivations and impacts on the working class. As we close up our first semester, we are excited to get back into the storyline of American history in the second semester.
In APUSH, we are examining the importance of pivotal battles such as Shiloh, where Lincoln and Grant knew it was going to have to be a war of conquest. Vicksburg, where the CSA desperately tried to keep some control of the Mississippi by launching an offensive into Pennsylvania to try and relieve Vicksburg in the west, to no avail. The end of the Confederate offensive power started at the conclusion of Gettysburg and it was essentially over for the Confederacy in the west. 2 more years of bloodshed but the end was in sight after Lincoln promoted Grant and had the tool he needed to destroy the south and end the war. Up next students will be analyzing an excerpt from the book "The Fateful Lightning" by Jeff Shaara to give insight on the reason for Sherman cutting a 70-mile wide swath of destruction through the southeast until we land on the correspondence between Lee and Grant, where the students will be able to see, first hand, the tense excitement as both men realize the end is at hand.
Government students learned about the structure and functions of the three branches of government. They completed projects that dealt with the presidency and the Supreme Court to apply what they have learned. We also monitored the November election results and analyzed how the election process works. Skills we focused on this semester were contextualization and providing evidence to identify the assertion and aligned evidence to support an argument in primary and secondary sources. Students also participated in many types of community service activities as part of a project grade this semester. Some examples were blood drives, food drives, helping neighbors and elderly perform tasks, and tutoring children at local schools.
In AP Gov, we have been breaking down the US Supreme Court's analysis of abortion cases, including listening to oral arguments and discussing the effect on the law in a hypothetical overturn. We have also been discussing the finer points of the establishment clause and free exercise clause law; the focus of the court in terms of government action, is it generally applicable or hostile towards religion? We will be listening to the oral argument in the Masterpiece case, which will be the final examination of free exercise clause law and the perfect bridge into speech law, specifically, expressive conduct.
Street Law finished the criminal law unit of the course, including murder and the defense of justification just in time to watch trial footage in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. Regardless of anyone's personal opinions in that case, which were varied and reasonable, the students learned enough about criminal law and how to analyze it to understand the verdict. We then completed torts law subjects such as civil lawsuits in product liability, strict liability, negligence defamation, and others and are now discussing contract law in preparation for a final legal hypothetical.
We have been very busy in psychology class. Students created a brain model to learn about the structures and functions of the brain. We looked at the importance of exercise and sleep and how they both contribute to wellness. We also studied genetics and the relationship between heredity and the environment. Students debated the ideas of nature versus nurture and why each plays a part in the development of personality. There was also a debate on sensation and perception, and why our senses have different levels of accuracy for each person. We are finishing out the semester learning about different emotion theories and dealing with stress.
Student Support Services
Scorpion Gifted Referral Form
In an effort to discover every hidden talent in our Scorpion student body and to increase support within our learning community, please take a moment and refer any potential student for the Gifted Assessment.
Please remember that "No gifted individual is exactly the same, each with his own unique patterns and traits. " -National Association for Gifted Children.
Gifted individuals often demonstrate unique levels of Cognitive processing, Creativity, Effectiveness, and Behavioral variations. Traits of Gifted
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Some of our gifted population might interrupt classes or not participate in the learning community. They might not be an 'A' level student.
PLEASE FILL OUT THE GOOGLE FORM TO REFER A STUDENT FOR GIFTED TESTING.
Save the Date!
DEHS Parent Advisory
The purpose of the DEHS Parent Advisory is to provide advice and assistance to school administrators and educators relating to Academic Achievement, programs, activities, resources, and services in order to help the school attain its goal of providing each child with the best education possible. In addition, parents can:
- Assist by providing input on the educational priorities of the school
- Promote and encourage parent and community participation in the school
- Volunteer to enhance the school experience for students
- Provide a communication link between the school and the community
- Help identify the concerns of students, parents, and community members and assist in developing solutions
Desert Edge's Parent Advisory meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 5:30 PM in the Library.
What the "Title 1" Label Means for Desert Edge
How the Title I funds are used primarily rests with Desert Edge. However, there are guidelines that must be followed regarding school spending. Title I funds can be used to improve curriculum, instructional activities, counseling, parental involvement, increase staff, and program improvement. In the past, Desert Edge has used Title I funding to provide tutoring, summer school, and supplemental courses in English and Math. Technology has been infused into the classroom in the form of chrome books, laptops, iPads, and printers. Class sizes have been reduced through the hiring of additional teachers, and extra instructional materials have been purchased to enhance learning. Guest speakers with motivational messages have been invited to the campus to make connections with students. As a result of Title I funding, Desert Edge has been able to bring valuable resources and supports (that it would not normally have) to its students, teachers, and parents.
Overall, being a Title I school should be embraced rather than being viewed as a negative representation of the student demographics. Desert Edge is flourishing and it is these types of positive programs that will help it achieve its vision of "All Students College and Career Ready."
Tax Credit Information
Support DEHS - Extra-Curricular Tax Credits Made Easy!
You can donate up to $400 and receive it all back with your Arizona taxes! It is so easy, and so beneficial to you, your student, and our school; that everyone should do it.
Here are some fun facts that will help you to donate:
- You can donate $200 if you are filing single or $400 if filing jointly.
- You can donate for the tax year 2020 up until April 15, 2023, Tax Day.
- You can donate to any extra-curricular club, participation fees, sports, and/or co-curricular activity fees.
- You can donate in installments. You don’t have to donate all at once.
- You can divide it between different activities if the student you are helping has more than one.
- You don’t have to donate the maximum amount. Donate what you need to, or you can afford.
- You can share the love and simply donate to any deserving program or help out any of our deserving students.
The easiest, and best, way to process your Extra-Curricular Tax Credit donation is to visit the DEHS web store website, print out the extra-curricular tax credit form, and come on into the bookstore at DEHS. Our bookstore employees can assist you in filling it out and making sure it is applied where you want it.
Please do not try and pay online, we have had the money go to places other than DEHS.
Support our students and programs by donating to our school. You can receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit and help out in a major way!! For more information, visit our district's tax credit page by clicking HERE
DEHS Parent Specialist
Please stay up to date with your students' grades and attendance through ParentVue. If you need help activating your account or resetting the account, please contact Ms. Koblinski at ckoblinski@aguafria.org or 623-932-7500 ext. 3160
About DEHS
Located near the Estrella Mountains, Desert Edge High School is the third high school in Agua Fria Union High School District, opening in the Fall of 2002. Desert Edge was the first "Green" Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certificate high school in Arizona, and the fourth in the nation.
Desert Edge is an A+ School of Excellence! (2016 and 2020). The A+ School of Excellence™ Program is a comprehensive school assessment program that celebrates outstanding schools and brings to light the positive stories and successes happening in public schools every day.
Desert Edge has consistently been awarded the Washington Post's America's Most Challenging High School and US News and World Report Best High School in America. Desert Edge is the only high school in Arizona to earn gold medal status in the Beat the Odds program for the 2018-2019 school year. Additionally, Desert Edge was recognized in 2019 for building "a college-going community" with The Most Innovative Player Award from the Governor’s Office of Education and The Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education.
Desert Edge is located on Estrella Parkway and Yuma Road near the Goodyear Ballpark, Spring Training home of the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians.
Website: www.aguafria.org/dehs
Location: 15778 W Yuma Rd, Goodyear, AZ 85338, USA
Phone: 623-932-7500
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DesertEdgeHS
Twitter: @DesertEdgeHS
Counseling Department Information
Counselors are available daily to support students with Academic, College/Career and Social/Emotional needs. Please reach out if you have any questions.
- Ms. Bebawi (A-C) cbebawi@aguafria.org
- Mrs. Bethel (D - H) cbethel@aguafria.org
- Ms. O'Shaughnessy (I-N) eoshaughnessy@aguafria.org
- Mrs. Padilla (O-R) ipadilla@aguafria.org
- Ms. Hurley (S-Z) ahurley@aguafria.org
- Mrs. Niko (College and Career Specialist) kniko@aguafria.org
Website: http://www.aguafria.org/dehscounseling
Facebook: facebook.com/DEHSCounseling
Twitter: @dehscounseling