Wildcat Growl
February 18, 2024
Our Vision:
De Soto High School ensures all students learn at a high level and have a positive sense of belonging, developing each student to be ready for their future.
Principal's Message
Wildcats and Families,
Reminder, in observance of Presidents' Day, we will not have school on Monday, February 19th. We will return to a White Day on Tuesday, February 20th.
Congratulations to Jasen Grammer, Grayson Hurley, Ashton Smith, Luke Van Allen, Jaxon Porter, and Josh Riddle for competing in the KSHSAA State Swimming and Diving Championships. Jasen placed 5th in Diving. Grayson placed 7th in the 500 Free and 9th in the 200 Individual Medley. Ashton Placed 12th in the 100 Fly. The Medley Relay team placed 12th. The team placed 13th of 35 teams competing. Congrats on a great season!
The DHS Wrestling Team competed in the KSHSAA 5A Regional in Pittsburg, Kansas over the weekend. The Wildcats qualified a team record 10 individuals for the state tournament this coming weekend in Wichita. Congratulations!
Thank you to all the families who joined us for Parent-Teacher Conferences. If you were unable to attend or arrange a conference, feel free to reach out to your student’s teachers to set up a time to meet. A big THANK YOU to The Cats Booster Club and Bridge Church for providing meals for our staff over conferences.
Our Cats in Action Class is excited to announce The Big Event at DHS on Sunday February 25th from 1-5pm. This will be a celebration of the new Student Care Closet at DHS and a fundraiser to help the DHS community. During The Big Event we will have food, games, and activities. Teams and individuals are encouraged to sign up. Last year our Cats in Action students raised almost $18,000. Here is the link if you would like to donate. Check out their video, website and flyer below. Thank you.
The first day of spring sports is February 26th. Please make sure that all required Skyward forms are complete.
On Tuesday, February 27th during G1-G3, all juniors will be taking the ACT that is provided by the state of Kansas. As a reminder the ACT is used for college admissions, university scholarships, and can predict college readiness. This ACT test can be a reportable test that students can submit to colleges. Room rosters will be posted in the commons. Students should check these so they know where to report by 7:50am on February 27th.
Tickets are on sale now for our Winter Play, The Curious Savage! Performances are Thursday February 29th, Friday March 1st, and Saturday March 2nd at 7pm in the Performing Arts Center.
Our counselors are busy meeting with students regarding course selection for the 2024-2025 school year. If you have not already taken care of this important task, please schedule a time to meet with your counselor. The deadline is March 6th.
Seniors and families: Look for an email before spring break regarding graduation regalia, specifically honor cords and activity patches for your custom stole. Parents interested in helping organize and run 2024 Gradfest, please contact us at sruff@usd232.org. Thank you.
Information for seniors about several scholarships, including those only available to DHS Seniors are posted on our website, here.
The Final Exam schedule for the second semester can be found on our website. It will be important for students to attend during this time. We will expect students that are absent during final exams to take their exams when they return.
Thanks, and have a great week.
Sam Ruff
Principal
De Soto High School
Athletic Signing Day, Wednesday, May 1st
The DHS athletic department is planning an Athletic Signing Day for Wednesday, May 1st, 2024 in the Main Gym beginning at 3:00pm.
We are currently compiling a list of students that have signed letters of intent to continue their athletic careers after high school.
If you have signed a letter of intent with a college/university, please use the link below to complete a form so the athletic department at DHS has a complete list of all students graduating in 2024 that plan to compete at the collegiate level.
Link to form: https://forms.gle/S7zjSBxYbXsyZmi86
Horizon Award
This fall the Kansas State Department of Education will allow the De Soto School District to nominate one Elementary and one Secondary teacher for the Horizon Award. The Horizon Award honors and recognizes exemplary teachers who will complete their first year this May. These spectacular teachers perform in a way that distinguishes them as outstanding. All of our 2023-2024 certified teachers who were new last August to the profession are eligible for this honor! Below you will find the guidelines for nominating a teacher:
Novice teachers who will have successfully completed their first year of teaching are eligible to be recognized. A teacher (Pre-K through grade 12) who successfully completes his/her first year of teaching by May 2024 is eligible. The Kansas Horizon Award Program is a regional competition. The regions correspond to the state’s four U.S. congressional districts.
The Kansas State Department of Education will appoint regional selection committees responsible for reviewing the nomination forms and selecting four elementary classroom teachers and four secondary classroom teachers per region for a total of 32 teachers.
The criteria for this award are:
- Nominee will have successfully completed his or her first year of teaching in a pre-kindergarten through grade 12 Kansas school accredited by the State Board of Education.
- Nominee will be a full-time classroom teacher.
- Nominee will be responsible for the assessment of students, assignment of grades, preparation of lesson plans, parent-teacher conferences, discipline, attendance, and other daily educational tasks.
- Nominee will have performed in a way that distinguishes him or her from other novice teachers.
Anyone can nominate an outstanding teacher who will complete their first year this year: administrators, teachers, and/or parents. If you would like to nominate a first year teacher go to www.usd232.org/horizonaward and follow the Horizon Award nomination link. The deadline for nominating a first year teacher is noon on March 1, 2024.
Note from the Counselors:
DHS Counselors and Social Worker
Crissy Johns (A-G): CJohns@usd232.org
Abbey Heller (H-N): aheller@usd232.org
Kaitlin Britt (O-Z): KBritt@usd232.org
Joe Kordalski (Social Worker): Rkordalski@usd232.org
KC Scholars Traditional Scholarship for Current HS Juniors
KC Scholars offers a scholarship to juniors in high school every year. The scholarship provides up to $50,000 paid directly to the college, over the course of up to six years. Below are the eligibility requirements to apply for the scholarship:
1. Be a current 11thgrader during the application cycle;
2. Be home-schooled or attend a public, charter, or private high school in the following 6 counties: Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte (MO) or Johnson and Wyandotte (KS);
3. Have at least a 2.5 cumulative high school unweighted GPA (5 semesters from 9th grade to the fall semester of 11th grade) or at least a 16 on the ACT or at least an 800 on the SAT); and
4. Be considered low- or modest-income. Your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) calculation on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forecaster must be 12,000 or less.
The deadline to apply for this scholarship is February 23, 2024. For more information go to https://greatjobskc.org/traditional-11th-grade/.
Great Jobs College Savings Match for Current 9th Grade Students
The Great Jobs KC – KC Scholars Scholarship Program Match and Incentive program provides eligible students with a 1:1 match and incentives up to $1,400 to use toward college. It is a one-time award. Match and incentive participants must enroll in college full-time following high school graduation to receive Great Jobs KC funding.
The deadline to apply is February 23, 2024. For more information go to https://greatjobskc.org/college-savings-match/.
True Blue ® KSHSAA Scholarship Application Process
The KSHSAA and Capitol Federal Foundation ® will award True Blue Scholarships intended to support Kansas High School graduates in postsecondary efforts. This one-time scholarship is for students graduating during the 2023-24 school year. These funds will be made payable to a two-year or four-year accredited college, university or technical school in the name of the selected student. Awards are non-renewable, one-time scholarships in the amount of $2,000 provided for a student in each activity administered by the KSHSAA. You may contact the KSHSAA at kshsaa@kshsaa.org or 785-273-5329 with any questions.
Eligibility
Students must be seniors attending and graduating from a member school of the Kansas State High School Activities Association during the 2023-24 school year and have rostered in the chosen activity their senior year. They must be considered as students in good standing as confirmed by their building principal. Students must enroll and attend a post-secondary institution of their choice as a full-time student within two years of graduation. Applicants must be in their final semester of high school. If you are a Division I bound athlete, please check with your institution about eligibility for this scholarship before applying.
Selection Criteria
The student will be selected based upon an assessment of the following components:
Community Service (30%)
· Length of service in school
· Length of service in the community
· Variety of service in school
· Variety of service in community
Academic achievement (30%)
· Cumulative GPA through 7 semesters
· Standardized test scores
· Academic awards from school or others
· College Prep/Honors level classes
Breadth of school activity participation (20%)
· Number of full seasons/years in each activity
· Number of KSHSAA sponsored activities
· Number of other school sponsored activities
Activity achievement (20%)
· Varsity level participation
· Varsity letters earned
· All-league honors
· All-state honors
Application Process
· All components of the application must be submitted digitally by 11:00 p.m. on March 1, 2024. Failure to complete submission by designated deadline will make the student ineligible for the scholarship.
· Scholarships will be awarded in categories noted online. Even though the student may participate in multiple activities, they may only apply for one category award (one application per student).
· The student shall submit a scholarship application which reflects school activity participation; this component is reviewed by a school or district administrator.
· The student shall complete an essay of no more than 500 words in response to the following prompt: "How participation in school activities has helped me become a better citizen."
· The student shall submit one reference letter reflective of community service completed by the student during their high school career.
· The student shall submit an official seven-semester high school transcript.
· The student and parent shall provide appropriate release to the selection committee to review the application materials and to approve using the name and image in local and social media if the student is selected as a scholarship winner.
· Applications may be submitted during the open application period of December 15, 2024, to March 1, 2024.
True Blue KSHSAA Scholarship Categories for all KSHSAA Activities
· 34 total scholarships, payable to post-secondary institution
· $2,000 one-time award, non-renewable
Bullying and Online Harassment
Cat Booster Club
Securly App
Parents can have peace of mind in knowing your student’s search history and time on their device. See your student’s online activity in real-time and catch up with weekly email snapshots by signing up with the Securly app. Follow the link for more information and directions.
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WHILE EARNING A LITTLE EXTRA INCOME
USD 232 is looking for one or more individuals to split a bus route that have either their LPN or RN licensure. We have some wonderful students with medical needs who are in need of either an LPN or RN to assist them while riding the bus to and from school. The hours are listed below and days to work flexible. If interested, please contact Sara Hoepner, Special Services Coordinator at shoepner@usd232.org, or Lee Hanson, Director of Special Services at lhanson@usd232.org, or Tara Harmon-Moore, Coordinator of Nursing Services at THarmonMoore@usd232.org for additional information. The job is also posted on our district website at https://www.applitrack.com/usd232/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Health+Services.