Wildcat Growl
January 14, 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,
This a reminder that in observance of the national holiday recognizing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we will not have school on Monday, January 15th. We will return to a White Day on Tuesday, January 16th.
Congratulations to Isabella Guess, Lucienna Guess, and Coach Will Mercer for winning the 2-Speaker Debate KSHSAA Class 5A State Championship!
Semester 1 grades have been posted in Skyward. If your student has an incomplete, they need to contact their teacher to schedule a time to finish any remaining coursework. Due to the number of days school has been cancelled, we have extended the deadline to complete semester 1 coursework, including the taking of final exams to Friday, January 26th.
Course selection for the 2024-2025 school year is about to begin. On Tuesday, January 16th, students will receive their course selection form in seminar and important information including the course guide and directions for selecting courses in Skyward will become available on our website (here). Students will schedule an appointment before March 6th with their counselor to review the Skyward selections. The deadline to make any changes is April 26th.
The Quarter 2 WildCAT Awards ceremony was held Thursday, January 11th in the PAC. Students were recognized for demonstrating the WildCAT Way behavior: Thoughtfulness. Families of award winners were invited to attend. Congratulations to the following nominated students: Will Albert, Bree Avery, Clark Billinger, Grace Burger, Lilly Chappel, Ali Cheema, Brooklynne Clark, Cooper Cosgrove, Noah Daniels, Alex Dixon, Sydney Duncan, Addison Easter, Anna English, Riley Ericson, Lillian Fandel, Kennedy Farrier, Cameron Ferrell, Addison Fleet, Maite Foss, Kyralynn Garcia, Payton Gaultney, Janessa Green, Ellie Gress, Evelyn Hernandez, Madeline Hillaire, Sophie Hull, Kylee Hunter, Bennett Hutchison, Ella Lawson, Jadon Lewis, Violet Lorenz, Addison Mages, Caroline Maisch, Alexis Marchand, Claire McGinn, Alyssa McHugh, Joey Meehan, Gavin Meisch, Kathryn Meyer, Cole Morris, Maria Nino-Elliott, Maria Ortega Berumen, Lexi Parish, Claudia Porras, Patrick Rooney, Maggie Schott, Pacer Schrotberger, Fin Smajda, Hailey Smith, Gracyn Speck, Ivy Stoltz, Taya Swarts, Kimbal Sweeney, Emily Taylor, Hannah Thorpe, Kennedy Tilley, Lane Vaillancourt, Lydia VanBooven, and Sam Vogel.
Student Wellness: Thanks to support from the USD232 Foundation, our district will be presenting ANGST (video trailer) on January 25, from 7:00-8:30 PM in the De Soto High School Performing Arts Center. In partnership with the KC Center for Anxiety Treatment, the event will include a paneled discussion following the viewing. For more information regarding this event, check out the district homepage.
We are excited to host Future Wildcat Night on Wednesday, February 7th from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. 8th-grade students (the Class of 2028) and their parents are invited to visit DHS. We will host an Activity Fair for extra & co-curricular groups and provide school tours from 6:30 to 7:00. The academic transition presentations will begin at 7:00 pm.
ACT for Junior Students: On Tuesday, February 27, 2024, Junior students will take the ACT at DHS. More information will be coming as the date nears.
Thank you,
Sam Ruff
Principal
De Soto High School
Voluntary Transfer Window
The Voluntary Transfer Request window for families to request a transfer to LTMS and DHS starting with the 2024-25 school year is currently open and will close on Friday, January 19. An email was sent to all incoming 6th and 9th grade families on Friday, January 5th regarding this transfer option. The information is also available on the district website. Here is the direct link in case you need more information about this transfer option or need to share it with a family > USD 232 Voluntary Transfer Program
Kansas Teacher of the Year Program
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 twelve semi-finalists represented in the program since 2000.
We would like for 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 fill out the nomination form at www.usd232.org/ktoy . This form needs to be completed by 4:00 PM on January 19, 2024.
Science Olympiad Invitational Results
On Saturday, January 6th, the DHS science olympiad team competed in the Pembroke Hill invitational tournament at Pembroke Hill Upper School. Twenty-six area high schools competed in 23 events ranging from building and engineering challenges to knowledge and skills testing across the scientific disciplines. While we only have half of the recommended team size of 15, we threw down hard against the private school crowd in Missouri and come out 16th out of 26 teams.. The team also earned 6th place in Dynamic Planet and 3rd place in Astronomy.
Freshman: Addy Easter
Sophomore: Matthew Barber
Juniors: Diego Diaz and Evan Johnsson
Seniors: Isabella Holwick, Daniel Morozov, and Isabelle Butler
Our next competition is the regional tournament at JCCC on Saturday, February 24th.
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.
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
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
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.