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,

DHS Cross Country competed in the KSHSAA 5A Cross Country Regional in Topeka on Saturday, October 26th. Vance Krudwig placed 1st for the Wildcats, breaking the school record with a time of 15:20.73. Brook Bundt led the girls team, placing 4th. The Boys XC team competed well, earning a Regional Runner-up with 5 Wildcats placing in the top 17. Girls XC team placed 3rd, with 4 Wildcats in the top 20. Both teams qualified for the KSHSAA State Meet at Rim Rock Farms next weekend. Girls team members include Brooke Bundt, Addison Gillespie, Jocelyn Marquez, Sydney Duncan, Kylie Mall, Kat Meyer, and Jordyn Garvey. Boys team members include Vance Krudwig, Luke Vogt, Beau Kalkman, Devin Murrell, Bridger Reimche, Collin Champlain, and Aaron Vogt. Good Luck, Wildcats!

Congratulations to the DHS Volleyball Team! The team qualified for the KSHSAA 5A State Volleyball Championship by becoming Sub State Tournament Champions on Saturday. This Friday, the team will travel to the Tony's Pizza Event Center in Salina, Kansas to compete in the state tournament pool play. Their first match is at 4:30pm. Way to go and good luck team!

WildCAT Awards: Congratulations to the following Quarter 1 WildCAT Award Winners. Students were nominated by their teachers for demonstrating characteristics of the WildCAT way and will be recognized at an awards ceremony during seminar on Monday, October 28th. Keep up the great work Wildcats!

Eva Alba, Jordyn Bode, Jack Bolen, Sophia Boresow, Andrea Burns, Rogan Burns, Alan Calderon, Zaiden Celis, Deysi Cervantes Coronado, Brett Chance, Braden Conley, Jannelle Conley, Adrian Correa, Jordan Cruz, Creighton Earp, Atley Edenfield, Kenzie Farmer, Carlos “Rafa” Fernandez, Stella Fischer, Arabelle Flanagan, Keegan Flynn, Ellie French, Olivia Frick, Payton Gaultney, Hailey Gress, Carson Handley, Vastin Haro Padilla, Evelyn Hardo Rondan, Vivana Haro, Telina Harris, Will Henley, Tydus Hernandez, Madeline Hillaire, Norah Kelly, Mady Klover, Grace Lederer, Tristan Logan, Nico Martinez, Madison Merz, Sydney Moore, Will Morton, Jason Neubauer, Mailee Nguyen, Eli Nice, Sophia O’Kane, Clarissa Paisley, Samantha Pedley, Jacob Petry, Claudia Porras, Vivian Riss, Ian Rocha, Donald Seagren, Emma Shrout, Fin Smajda, Kora Smith, Christian Tapia, Logan Wagoner, Kate White, Emmie Wible, Caelyn (CJ) Willams, Deserae Wills, Ellery Wilson, Brooke Wright, Lily Zeier

Career Panel Series: Our next panel is Information Technology, Arts AV, Communications on October 30th. The panel on Architecture and Construction will take place on November 13th. Students interested in either of these fields should sign up in Minga Flextime. Parents interested in sharing your career story and contributing to our students' future successes, please complete this link.

Halloween is Thursday, October 31st. Students are encouraged to show their spirit by wearing a school-appropriate costume that day. Costumes must not have a full face/over-the-head mask or gore. Costumes must also meet the general school dress code.

Veterans Day: The De Soto Cats in Action Leadership class has been hard at work planning our third annual Veterans Day Assembly on Monday, November 11th. If you know a Veteran, we would love the opportunity to invite them to attend our assembly. Our goal is to honor as many Veterans as possible. If your Veteran is unable to be in attendance, please send in a photo for our slideshow. There is a flyer below with a QR code to sign up to attend. If you have any questions please direct them to mcfriday@usd232.org.

Semester Final Exams & Skip-A-Final: Semester final exams are scheduled to begin Tuesday, December 17th, and end Friday, December 20th. Pre-approved prearranged absences will not be granted during final exam week. If students are absent during finals week, they will need to work with the teacher to make up the final within two weeks of their return in January (not before). Information about our attendance incentive "Skip-A-Final" can be found on our website.

Important Future Events:

• Father's Club Information Meeting: November 5th @ 6:00PM - Link to information below
• Coffee & Conversation: 8:00AM, Thursday, November 7th
• Veteran's Day Assembly: Monday, November 11th - Recognition link is below
• Theatre Dept. Presents - Mary Poppins: November 14th & 16th (ticket information below)
• Academic Recognition Night: November 19th - Academic Letter Winners in 12th-10th grade (more info to come)

Warm regards,

Sam Ruff

Principal

De Soto High School

Attention male athletes! If you're looking for a fun and challenging way to stay fit, strengthen muscles and make new friends, then the DHS swim team is the place for you! Whether you're an experienced swimmer or are looking to improve your skills, being a member of the swim team is a great opportunity to compete while improving your overall fitness. There are lots of benefits to athletes in other sports; shoulder strength for baseball players, leg strength and endurance for soccer and track athletes, and more! So dive in and give it a try—we’d love to have you with us! Contact head coach Logan Myers to get more information: lmyers1@usd232.org

Jostens shared information about ordering graduation packages including optional announcements, and other apparel. The only required items for participation in the graduation ceremony are the cap, gown, tassel and custom stole. The link will take you directly to the item needed. The order deadline is October 30th. Information about the Class of 2025 graduation ceremony can be viewed on our website (here).

“I'm starting with the man in the mirror…..I'm asking him to change his ways…”

These words made famous by Michael Jackson inspired me to step up and join Fathers Club—a Dad-led, grassroots effort creating simple ways for Dads to be intentional with their KIDS, with other DADS, and within the COMMUNITY.

Several schools in the KC metro are associated with the Fathers Club organization and are doing great things for their school system. We certainly have men accomplishing much within our schools but the reality is that there’s more to do. Please join me at the upcoming informational meeting at 6:00pm on November 5th, 2024 in the DHS Blackbox Theater. I’m excited about establishing a DeSoto Fathers Club and it would be wonderful to see more men step up and make an impact on the kids who call DeSoto their school district.

- Mark Martinez

The USD 232 Education Foundation is currently accepting nominations for the Making a Difference Award for the month of October. All submissions are due by Thursday, October 31, 2024. Nominations for this award for ANY USD 232 Staff member are accepted and reviewed each month. > https://bit.ly/USD232MAD

Members: Emily Thayer, Susan Coffee, and April Bergkamp

We want to continue to highlight the importance of regular school attendance. Citing the National Center for Education Statistics, it has been demonstrated that students who consistently attend school tend to attain higher levels of academic achievement compared to those with irregular attendance patterns. Recreating high-quality classroom instruction and valuable learning experiences missed during an absence can be challenging, not to mention the missed opportunities for enhanced comprehension that often arise from peer interaction and classroom discussions. Please take a moment to review the details regarding student attendance on our website.

Nominations are now open for the De Soto Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Use the link below for more information and to submit an individual or team deserving of this honor. Nomination deadline is Nov 3rd, 2024. https://dhswildcatnation.com/hof-nomination/

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.

The CBYX is a student exchange program that offers young Americans the opportunity to live with a host family and attend high school in Germany for an academic year. CIEE administers CBYX on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.

• CBYX is a fully-funded scholarship sponsored by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and jointly funded by the German Bundestag and the U.S. Congress.
• Academic merit, motivation, curiosity, and flexibility are key components to a competitive application.
• Previous German language experience is not required. Participants become fluent in German.
• This is also an excellent gap year program for students applying as current high school seniors
• Students who are U.S. Citizens born between February 1, 2007 and August 1, 2010 with a GPA of 2.5 or higher are eligible to apply.
• Visit our website www.ciee.org/cbyx or email cb@ciee.org for more information.

The online application can be found at https://usagermanyscholarship.org/ The deadline to apply is Friday, November 1, 2024. Visit our website www.ciee.org/cbyx or email cb@ciee.org for more information.

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/Page/7956