Wildcat Growl

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.

Wildcats and Families,

Academic Recognition Night will be held on Tuesday, November 19th at 6:30pm in the De Soto Performing Arts Center. Seniors who have earned an Academic Letter by maintaining a GPA of 3.7 or higher during their Junior year will be individually recognized on stage and presented with a plaque created by a DHS student. Juniors and sophomores will be acknowledged as a class for their accomplishments. All students being recognized and their families have been notified via a Skyward email. We hope to see you Tuesday evening.

Winter Sports: The first day of tryouts and practices for winter sports is Monday, November 18th. Make sure you are ready and know where to be after school for tryouts. All information can be found here: Winter Sports Pre-Season Information

Mary Poppins: I hope you had the chance to see our fall musical, Mary Poppins! If not, you missed something truly supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Congratulations to the cast, crew, and staff on another fantastic production.

Join Us for a Night of Jazz! Mark your calendars for USD 232’s Night of Jazz on November 21, 2024, at 7:00pm at the De Soto High School Performing Arts Center. This exciting event will feature incredible performances by jazz ensembles from Lexington Trails Middle School, Mill Creek Middle School, Monticello Trails Middle School, Mill Valley High School, De Soto High School, and the Jazz Hawks from Lawrence, KS. Don’t miss this evening of outstanding music and talent! For more information, contact pkaul@usd232.org.

Please join us in congratulating the following students for being selected to our ECKMEA All-District Honor Choirs. Treble Choir: Sydney Mater, Mixed Choir: Ellie French, Janessa Green, Savannah Hendry, Braden Hoffman, Alayna Marovec, and Ben White, and Alternate: Anna English. Great job!

DHS Band students were selected to the ECKMEA All-District bands. We are very proud of the way they represented our program. Gold Band: Matthew Barber – trumpet, & Nick Maskil – trombone. Red Band: Fin Smajda – oboe, Sophie Hull – trumpet, and Stella Showalter – trombone. Blue Band: Keegan Flynn – clarinet, Maxton Branstetter – contrabass clarinet, and Colin McGinn – trombone. Congrats!

DHS Advanced Placement Art students, along with students from 26 area high schools, attended the Washburn University Art Day for High School students. DHS Student Artist Emerald Morton was awarded first place in the Digital Art Category for her artwork " Lost but not yet Gone".

Eight members of the De Soto boys soccer team were named to the 2024 UKC All-conference team this week. Junior forward Dylan Narayan was the lone Wildcat to be voted to the 1st team. Receiving 2nd team recognition were Senior defender Keegan Moerike, Junior forward Gabe Carrillo, and sophomore midfielder Easton Rice. Honorable mention distinction was earned by Senior midfielder Brady Lum, Senior forward Ian Province, Junior forward Kaden Benson and Sophomore defender Daniel Gonzalez. Great job Wildcats!

The 2024 UKC all-conference football teams were chosen this week as well. Senior Charlie Woleben was named to the 1st team defense and was also named the UKC Defensive Player of the Year. Jayden Lang earned 1st team honors twice being named as a running back on 1st team offense and as a returner on 1st team special teams. Also earning first team accolades were Senior offensive linemen Seth Goins and James Dykes and senior linebacker Casey Bowlin. Second team recognition was awarded to senior defensive back Austin Lindsay. Senior offensive lineman Kimbal Sweeney, Senior quarterback Drew Parks, and Senior running back John Chapman were voted honorable mention offense while junior Angel Rivera was honorable mention defense as a linebacker and junior punter Peyton Hughes was honorable mention special teams. Congratulations all!

Congrats to seniors Brooke Bundt and Vance Krudwig! They were named 1st team All-Metro by the Greater Kansas City Cross Country Coaches Association (GKCCCCA).

Thanksgiving Break: Just a reminder that we will not have school from Monday, November 25th thru Friday, November 29th, and will return to school on a Green Day, Monday, December 2nd.

Future Events:

• Career Panel Series: Education and Training - Wednesday, December 4th during Seminar
• Cocoa & Cram: After School Final Exam Study Sessions - December 9th - December 12th
• Hardwood Classic: The annual basketball tournament - December 9th - December 13th
• Final Exams: Tuesday, December 17th - Friday, December 20th. Here is the schedule.

Thanks, and have a great week.

Sam Ruff

Principal

De Soto High School

The Turkey Raffle fundraiser returned to DHS during lunchtime!

Steve's Meat Market will again be donating a fresh 18-20lb turkey to the winner of the raffle.

The winner of the raffle will be announced at the end of school on (Thursday, Nov. 21st).

All Students and Staff are encouraged to participate in the fundraiser.

Just $1 donation = 1 ticket for a chance to win a fresh turkey donated by @StevesMeatMktKS

ALL proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the De Soto Food Pantry.

Last year (Fall 2023), DHS raised $238 to donate to the De Soto Food Pantry from this school-wide fundraiser.

The cheer team is selling De Soto themed holiday sweatshirts, hoodies & long sleeve t-shirts! The store closes November 26th and youth and adult sizes are available. They will be delivered to DHS the week after thanksgiving and available for pick up in the office and at the home basketball game on 12/6. Link to store: click here

USD 232 has been an important and strong participant in the Kansas Teacher of the Year Program for many years. De Soto has had fifteen state finalists and thirteen semi-finalists represented in the program since 2000.

We would like to invite you to nominate any teacher whom you consider to be an outstanding and effective educator. This person must have completed 5 years of teaching with at least 2 of them having been in USD 232. If there is a USD 232 educator whom you believe to be outstanding and deserving of special recognition, please use the link below to fill out the nomination form. Nomination deadline is noon on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. Kansas Teacher of the Year Nomination Form

The USD 232 Education Foundation is currently accepting nominations for the Making a Difference Award for the month of November. All submissions are due by Friday, November 22nd, 2024. Nominations for this award for ANY USD 232 Staff member are accepted and reviewed each month. > https://bit.ly/USD232MAD

Members: Joe Kordalski, Autumn Reece, and Jess Kelley

Families, the State of Kansas provided free over-the-counter covid tests, which are located in a basket in the front office. Free to take, no names or sign up required; no need to share the result with the school nurse unless you choose to do so.

This year, the DHS athletics department will be using HUDL (not NFHS) to live stream all home events. To get your subscription, use this link: https://fan.hudl.com/dhswildcatnation

Single game, monthly, or year long subscription options are available.

DHS Counselors and Social Workers

Mrs. Crissy Johns (cjohns@usd232.org): Last name A – D

Ms. Abbey Heller (aheller@usd232.org): Last name E – K

Mrs. Lainee Graham (lgraham@usd232.org): Last name L – Q

Mrs. Kaitlin Morrell (kaitlin.morrell@usd232.org): Last name R - Z

Mr. Joe Kordalski, Social Worker (Rkordalski@usd232.org)

Mrs. Debra Landis, Social Worker (dlandis@usd232.org)

Filing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is now simpler than ever—and JCCC’s Financial Aid team will get you prepared. The FAFSA® opens December 1. This FREE event is dedicated to FAFSA® prep (Federal Student Aid ID setup), Scholarship information, and other college funding options.

Tue. Nov. 19 | 4:30-7 p.m. | Regnier Center 101

To register for the event click: RSVP for College Financing Night

Need a different time? We have flexible meeting options! Contact the Financial Aid team at finaid@jccc.edu to schedule an appointment at your convenience.

Benefits:

• 4-year, full-tuition coverage
• Monthly Stipend
• Summer training and leadership development
• Career paths in the US Navy
• Commission as a Navy Officer upon graduation

Key Considerations:

• No obligation to commit until scholarship is awarded and accepted
• Ideal for high-achieving students in STEM fields and leadership

We kindly request your assistance in sharing this information with students and their families

Upcoming Q&A Session

Date: November 13th

Time: 4-8 PM

Meeting Link

More information: https://www.netc.navy.mil/NSTC/NROTC/

While we plan to continue to allow students to use their mobile devices during passing periods and lunch, we would also ask that parents have a conversation with their students about appropriate use. Taking pictures or videos of other students without their consent and then sharing those pictures/videos or posting them online can be a form of social harassment or bullying, and will be handled as such. Please refer to the information posted on the district website regarding bullying and harassment. Thank you for helping us address this issue with our students.

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.

https://www.usd232.org/departments/technology/departments/technology/securly-home-app