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Wildcat Growl
March 17, 2024
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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,
We hope you are enjoying your Spring Break. When students return on Tuesday, March 19th (White Day), we will begin the final quarter of the 2023-2024 school year – an important time for everyone to reflect, focus, and finish the school year with our best effort.
The United Kansas Conference Basketball coaches met to make their 2022-23 All UKC Selections. Nine Wildcats were chosen to the All-Conference list. Congratulations to the following athletes!
Five members of the Girls' Basketball Team were chosen for the All-Conference lists. Makenzie Farmer and Addison Tower were selected as 1st Team All-Conference. Amanda Tower and Violet Conley were selected as 2nd Team All UKC, and Ava O'Brien was selected as Honorable Mention UKC. Congratulations Wildcats!
Four members of the Boys' Basketball Team were chosen for the All-Conference lists. David Cobin was selected as 1st Team All UKC. Jayden Lang was selected 2nd Team UKC, and Bayler Bell and Max Johnson were selected as Honorable Mention UKC. David Cobin was selected as Player of the Year for the second straight year. Congrats!
DHS Spring Sports ‘Opening Day’ is being held on Thursday, March 28th. Multiple home events will occur, including Soccer, Baseball, and Softball games. The Wildcat Booster Club is also arranging for fun activities to take place that evening. Come on out, support our Wildcats, and enjoy the evening.
State assessments will take place the last week of March and in April. We ask for and appreciate the scheduling of appointments outside of these dates. Thank you.
Spring 2024 State Assessment Dates:
· 11th Grade Science - March 26-29
· 10th Grade English - April 1-4
· 10th Grade Math – April 9-12
Applications for Ambassadors and Mentors (A&M) Crew for the 2024-2025 school year are open! A&M Crew members serve DHS as Freshman Mentors, provide building tours for new students, volunteer for event support throughout the year, and assist with peer tutoring. Any DHS student who will be a junior or senior during the 2024-2025 school year is eligible to apply. Current A&M Crew members will need to reapply. Any questions can be directed to Mrs. Adams aadams@usd232.org . To apply fill out the following application and teacher recommendation by March, 29th 2024: https://forms.gle/BkRJE3g9phKnTSdT8.
The Final Exam schedule for 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.
Families of senior and junior students interested in helping organize and run 2024 Gradfest, please contact us at sruff@usd232.org. Thank you.
Thanks, and have a great week.
Sam Ruff
Principal
De Soto High School
Student Wildcats of the Month - February
Staff Wildcats of the Month - February
Science Olympiad Regional Results
On Saturday, February 24th, the DHS Science Olympiad team competed in the regional tournament with other Northeast Kansas high schools. They placed 10th overall out of the 18 regional teams.
The following teams brought home placements in their events:
Astronomy, 4th place: Evan Johnsson and Addie Easter
Microbe Mission, 4th place: Daniel Morosov and Addie Easter
Fermi Questions, 5th place: Cael Province and Evan Johnsson
Our overall placement was high enough to qualify us for the state competition for the 9th consecutive year. The team will travel to Wichita State on Friday, April 5th to compete against the top Kansas schools.
Please congratulate;
Seniors: Daniel Morozov, Isabella Holwick, Isabelle Butler, Cael Province
Juniors: Diego Diaz, Evan Johnsson, Bella Guess
Sophomore: Matthew Barber
Freshman: Addie Easter
"Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day" (IGED)
On Feb 23rd female engineering students attended the "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day" (IGED) conference which is a diversity outreach program designed to provide female engineering students with an opportunity to learn about science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) careers.
Students enjoyed motivational presentations, connected with a mentor, and participated in large and small group activities that provided opportunities to learn about a number of STEAM careers, listened to a keynote speaker and panel discussions. It also provided an opportunity to meet with, and learn with other girls about the field of engineering.
Students were put in groups for a hands-on activity to "Design a Mechanical Grabber" to move the most number of objects into a scoring zone in 30 seconds. Extra points were given to teams with more than one pivot point on the mechanical grabber. Students were given rules & constraints and restricted to time limits to perform each step, working under pressure. Groups then tested their device and competed against other teams. DHS student, Aurora Straight, was paired with a student from another school in the metro area and took 2nd place out of over 90 teams participating.
KAEA Youth Art Month
Senior Clark Billinger's still-life drawing is on display at the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library during March for the Kansas Art Education Association's Youth Art Month Exhibit.
A digital copy of his artwork will be featured on March 18th on the Kansas Art Education website and the Kansas Art Teachers' Facebook page.
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
UMKC Summer Pharmacy Camp
Engage with current faculty and practicing pharmacists, view experiments in the lab and interact with current students to find out what it’s like to be a pharmacy student at UMKC. Students will take part in making actual medicine in the compounding lab, hear from community pharmacists about their daily roles, interact with clinical pharmacists in specialty practices such as oncology, pediatrics, cardiology, emergency room and more and learn from School of Pharmacy faculty and students about what it's like to be a member of UMKC at all three campus locations.
Spots are limited and are on a first come first serve basis. For more information go to UMKC Summer Pharmacy Camp.
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
Addiction is Real Information
The Addiction is Real organization has provided Parent Toolkit Booklets which were designed to help parents talk with their kids about alcohol and drug use. Addiction is Real has generously shared the PDF of this resource to share with families/situations.
This free film link is available for district’s families during the next several weeks.
This documentary discusses the pressures facing children today and why it is imperative to have conversations about drugs and alcohol – before it is too late.
Use code: USD232 to watch this film free > https://bit.ly/DontWaitUSD232
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.