Wildcat Growl
February 5, 2023
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
Wildcat Family,
Congratulations to the DHS Scholars Bowl Team for placing 2nd in the KSHSAA Regional and qualifying for the KSHSAA State Tournament hosted by DHS on February 11th! Great job and good luck this weekend!
Congratulations to the Varsity Boys Bowling Team! They broke the school record with 2748 points during a home meet at Park Lanes. Team members included: Colby Lovegren, Antonio Miranda, Collin Bode, Rob Ramsey, Jacob Smith, and Luke Swanson. Great job!
Congratulations to Cassidy Waite and Alex Boresow, the Wildcats of the Month for January. We appreciate both and we are glad they are Wildcats!
We also want to recognize our Wildcat Staff Members of the Month for January, Director of Bands Matt Bradford, and English teacher and Assistant Speech coach Amanda Sweet. Thank you both for making DHS a special place.
We are celebrating the week leading up to a hopeful Chiefs victory with spirit week dress-up days. The dress-up days are identified in the flyer below.
National School Counseling Week 2023, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, will be celebrated from February 6-10, 2023. Help us recognize and honor our school counselors this week for all their hard work at DHS.
2023 Hall of Fame Inductions will take place on Friday, February 10th, 2023. We are proud to recognize the Hall of Fame Class of 2023: Amanda Erickson Harbord – Class of 1998, Stan Watchous – Class of 1978, Jennie Otto Williamson – Class of 1991, and Kathy Reddy – staff retired 2008. There will be a reception and dinner for the inductees and their families and friends at 6:00 pm in the Black Box. The induction ceremony will happen at the conclusion of the Varsity Girls Basketball and before the Varsity Boys Basketball warm-up in the Main Gymnasium, approximately at 7:15 pm. We welcome anyone who would like to show his or her support for these individuals to attend on February 10th.
Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 15th from 4:00 pm – 7:30 pm, and Thursday, February 16th from 9:30 am – 8:00 pm.
Important topics to connect on include: how students are currently doing in class and course selection for next year. We would also appreciate an opportunity for a discussion to take place between the parent and the student's seminar teacher regarding the student's post-secondary aspirations. Please include your student's seminar teacher in planning out your conference schedule.
Information about Parent Teacher Conferences, including the location of teachers on Wednesday and how to sign up for Zoom or in-person conferences via Skyward on Thursday, can be found on our website (here).
Several staff members have spoken to me with excitement about the projects their students are engaged in for Spotlight-DHS. This senior recognition and academic community open house will take place on April 26th, 2023. We hope to see you there.
Thanks, and have a great week!
Sam Ruff
Principal, DHS
Wednesday, February 8th Collaborative Team Time Late Start
DHS Scholars Bowl Wins the UKC tournament!
Attendance Information
We want to share some important information and reminders for parents. We added a new Attendance Office to the north student entrance (door #21). This new student-only entrance/exit will be where students should be dropped off or picked up during the school day (7:50 am - 2:55 pm). Visitors will continue to use the Main Entrance on the south side of the building.
DHS Cheer competes in the NCA All -Star National Championships, placing 15th!
School Meals
Homework Request Information
When your student is absent from school, please encourage your student to reach out to teachers requesting assignments missed due to the absence. Certainly, parents can also reach out to teachers, but part of becoming a self-directed independent learner is communication, being organized, and advocating for yourself. If your student is experiencing a longer-term absence (a week or more), our counselors are available to assist in this process.
Need to contact 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
DHS Senior Only Scholarships
Scholarships for the De Soto High School Class of 2023 are now available. All applications can be found at https://www.usd232.org/Page/3287. Please follow the instructions for each individual application and submit by the deadline. All scholarship winners will be announced at the Senior Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 17th, 2023.
· DHS CAT Booster Scholarship: Application coming soon!
· De Soto Alumni/VFW Scholarship: Application coming soon!
· Olathe Health Center Health Care Scholarship: Deadline February 24
· De Soto Teachers Association Scholarship: Deadline April 15
· Shawnee Vision Care Scholarship: Deadline April 14
· McCarthy Auto Group Scholarship: Deadline April 14
· Trenton Hughes Scholarship: Deadline April 21
· Casey Blake Johnson Running Scholarship: Deadline April 21
· Jess Johnson Scholarship (Rotary Club): Deadline April 30
KC Scholars Scholarship
KC Scholars is a local non-profit organization that awards at least 250 college scholarships each year to current high school juniors. The amount of the award can vary but will range between $10,000 - $50,000. If you are a current high school junior and you mee the criteria below you are encouraged to apply. The deadline for the application is February 24th. For more information, please visit their website at https://kcscholars.org/traditional-11th-grade/.
- Be a current 11th grader during the application cycle;
- Be home-schooled or attend a public, charter, or private high school in the following six counties: Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte (MO) or Johnson and Wyandotte (KS);
- Be lawfully present in the U.S. or DACA eligible and DACA applied/approved;
- Have at least a 2.5 cumulative high school unweighted GPA (five 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
- Be considered low- or modest-income. Your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) calculation on the Federal Student Aid Estimator must be 12,000 or less. The calculation is based on household income, number of members in the family, and number of family members that will be in college at the same time. This is the amount of annual financial support a family can be expected to pay toward the student’s college education.
Boys State of Kansas
Applications are now available for Boys State of Kansas. Boys State is week-long camp opportunity for current sophomore/junior boys to strengthen confidence, inspire leadership, build bonds of friendship, as well as an introduction to civic responsibility. Students must be ranked in the upper half of their graduating class, be a self-starter, and be involved in school and community extracurricular activities. Students who attend Boys State are eligible for college scholarships. Applications are due March 31st. For more information and to access the application, please visit https://ksbstate.org/.
JCCC Scholarships for the Senior Class of 2027
Seniors who are planning on attending JCCC next school year, need to fill out the JCCC Scholarship application by April 1st. Students who fill out the application by the deadline will be considered for all JCCC Scholarships including the ones listed below. To qualify for JCCC scholarships, students must be degree seeking. To access the JCCC Scholarship application, please visit https://www.jccc.edu/admissions/financial-aid/aid-types/scholarships/.
- Presidential Scholarship: This scholarship will be given to one high school senior from DHS. Students must have a 3.5 high school GPA or higher to be considered. Tuition for two years and a book stipend each semester will be awarded
- JCCC CavGuarantee Scholarship: This scholarship is awarded to any resident of JCCC who graduates from high school with a 3.25 unweighted GPA. Students will be awarded $500 for each semester, fall and spring. The scholarship is non-renewable and non-stackable. Students who receive other institutional scholarships
- Kansas Promise Act Scholarship: Covers two years of tuition at JCCC if you promise to live and work in Kansas for two years after finishing your degree. For more information, please visit their website at https://www.jccc.edu/admissions/financial-aid/aid-types/scholarships/kansas-promise/.
Power Prep ACT Test Prep
For more information and to register for the event click here.
Kansas ScholarShop
In partnership with Sallie Mae, Kansas State Treasurer’s office has launched the Kansas ScholarShop initiative. ScholarShop aims to restore hope and excitement for students seeking educational and career advancement after high school. With access to 6 million scholarships worth up to $30 billion; students can search and find scholarships, grants and awards tailored specifically to their deepest passions. For more information visit: https://kansascash.ks.gov/scholarshop.html
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.