Wildcat Growl
May 8, 2022
Future Ready Wildcats
De Soto High School staff and students endeavor to model the following core values:
INTEGRITY, INQUIRY, COMMUNICATION, PERSEVERANCE, and REFLECTION.
Principal's Message
Wildcats and Families,
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms in our community.
While the DHS community appreciates our fantastic staff year-round, last week the Cat Booster Club organized food and special treats each day to show appreciation during staff appreciation week. Thank you, Cat Booster Club!
Congratulations to Tanner Chase and Josephine Butler. Both are being recognized as our Wildcats of the Month for April. Tanner and Josephine are involved in a variety of activities and we appreciate their positive contribution to DHS!
We also want to congratulate our Debate and Forensics Teacher, Will Mercer, and Special Education Teacher Emily Thayer. Mr. Mercer and Mrs. Thayer are being recognized as the staff Wildcats of the Month for April. We are lucky to have both as members of the staff at DHS. Congrats!
Congratulations to Mrs. Cheron Tiffany! In addition to Mrs. Tiffany retiring at the end of the school year, she was selected as DTA Teacher of Excellence for 2021-2022.
Last weekend, some of our forensics students traveled to the NSDA National Qualifying tournament. Competing against the best of the best in East Kansas, the following students punched their tickets to Nationals held in Louisville, KY this summer. Tyler Gillespie was selected as one of the members of the all-East Kansas World Schools Debate team. Kennedy Farrier & Cael Province qualified as the top team in Public Forum Debate, making this Kennedy & Cael’s second national tournament qualification this year. This will be De Soto’s third-ever NSDA Nationals appearance and our first back-to-back year appearance. Congratulations on your hard-earned accomplishment!
Voting for Student Council takes place this week. Students will watch candidate videos and vote during seminar on Monday.
DHS Theatre presents Steel Magnolias, May 12th-14th in the Black Box. Tickets are sold at the door, $5 for students, and $8 for adults.
Mill Creek Middle School is hosting a fundraiser to help their choir teacher, Carlita Pederson, who has been out fighting cancer this year. If you'd like to purchase a purple Team Carlita bracelet or have questions, please see Mrs. Fry in the choir room. Bracelets are $3 each and sales will continue as long as supplies last!
Two of our staff have been nominated for the Making a Difference Award for March. Congratulations to Elizabeth Crainshaw, and Alexis Eberth!
Nominations are received monthly and can be submitted using this link: Making a Difference Nomination Form.
Seniors and students not returning to DHS for the 2022-2023 school year will need to return their USD232-owned MacBook and charger during textbook/materials return. Returning freshman, sophomore, and junior DHS students will not need to turn in the MacBook for the summer.
A reminder for our senior students - you have several important items to address before the end of the school year. Most importantly, you need to make sure to finish the year engaged in your academics. We are here to support you but also need you to finish strong.
Seniors - when you return your USD232 MacBook, you will also need to complete and turn in the Senior Checkout Sheet to student services. This document will be passed out when you pick up your cap and gown. Completing the Senior Checkout sheet is required to receive the graduation tickets that may be needed if weather forces the graduation ceremony inside.
The Senior Breakfast (students only) and Gradfest sign-up link can be found HERE. Breakfast will begin at 9:00 AM on May 20th in the Aux Gym. The required graduation rehearsal will begin at 9:30 AM in the Aux Gym. Students will be released to go to Gradfest from rehearsal and the Senior Send-off at approximately 11:10 AM.
Ice Cream and Cram starts this week. The information is below.
Thanks, and have a great week.
Sam Ruff
Principal
De Soto High School
DHS Dance Marathon Raises $2600 for Children's Miracle Network Hospital (KU Med)
NSDA National Qualifiers
Over the weekend, we took some of our forensics students to the NSDA National Qualifying tournament. Competing against the best of the best in East Kansas, the following students punched their tickets to Louisville, KY this summer.
Tyler Gillespie was selected as one of the members of the all-East Kansas World Schools Debate team.
Kennedy Farrier & Cael Province qualified as the top team in Public Forum Debate, making this Kennedy & Cael’s second national tournament qualification this year.
This will be De Soto’s third-ever NSDA Nats appearance and our first back-to-back year appearance.
We are looking for parents and community members to donate gift cards and other prizes. Our goal is for every senior that attends GRADFEST to leave with a gift. If you would like to donate please drop gifts off at the DHS front office or to Mrs. Friday’s classroom (113). We appreciate all of the support our families and communities give!
KSHSAA State Solo and Ensemble festival Band
Superior (I) Ratings
Tanner Chase, drumset solo
Anna D’Andrea, trumpet solo
Ryan Handley, saxophone solo
Ollie Kellogg, saxophone solo
Austin Mills, saxophone solo
Trever Tilton, flute solo
Flute Trio
Clarinet Choir
Sax Quartet I
Woodwind Quintet I
Brass Quintet
Percussion Trio
Percussion Ensemble
Excellent (II) Ratings
Noah Beggs, trumpet solo
Sydney Moore, clarinet solo
Emma Klingler, flute solo
KSHSAA State Solo and Ensemble Festival Results
Congrats to the DHS Band and Choir students that performed at the KSHSAA State Solo and Ensemble festival on Saturday at Salina South. We took 19 events and received 15 I ratings and 4 II ratings. Every ensemble that performed received a I rating!
KSHSAA State Solo and Ensemble festival Choir
Superior (I) Ratings
De Soto Voce Treble Singers
De Soto Voce
Excellent (II) Ratings
Ellie Dossett, vocal solo
Paraprofessionals and Student Nutrition Positions Available Now
Note from the Counselors:
Senior Scholarship Information:
Now is a good time to start looking for scholarships for college. If you haven’t already done so please check out the DHS Student Services site: https://www.usd232.org/Page/3287. Click on the Financial Aid/Scholarship tab. Scholarships for DHS seniors only will be posted in January/February. General scholarships are updated on a regular basis so check the page often.
FAFSA Application Open for the 2022-23 School Year:
In October the 22-23 FAFSA application opened. This is used to determine financial aid which comes in the form of grants or scholarships. It is also used for parents/students to qualify for loans to help subsidize the cost of college. For more information on financial aid go to: https://studentaid.gov/
Individual Plan of Study (IPS):
Every DHS student will have a completed Individual Plan of Study upon graduating from De Soto High School. Students complete different IPS lessons approximately twice each month during seminar. Xello is the platform for IPS and contains all kinds of important information, specific to each student including career matches, personality styles, skills, interests, saved colleges, saved careers, scholarships, etc. Students will review their IPS with their seminar teacher and their parents during spring conferences. This video gives a short summary of why IPS is important and gives students/parents an idea of what is to be expected.
Social-Emotional Lessons (SEL):
DHS seminars are now including SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) activities to help provide tools and resources for students. Upcoming topics include: analyzing emotions, goal setting, perseverance, and managing responses to emotions. The overall health and well-being of our students are important to us. If you are ever concerned about another student or your own, please don’t hesitate to reach out to their counselor or the social worker.
Resources from CollegeBoard:
Parent Action Plan for Seniors
FAFSA Resources:
Quick Video Instructions on how to fill out the FAFSA
Scholarships:
DHS Student Services Scholarship Page (updated frequently)
DHS Counselors and Social Worker
Crissy Johns (A-G): CJohns@usd232.org
Marge Eckard (H-N): meckard@usd232.org
Kaitlin Britt (O-Z): KBritt@usd232.org
Joe Kordalski (Social Worker): Rkordalski@usd232.org
Kansas State University’s Health Professions Summer Program:
KSU is launching a new health professions program for current high school juniors and seniors. This week long program is for students who are interested in a career in helping others through the health care industry. The program will run from July 10th – 15th. Registration opens on March 14th. For more information, visit https://www.hhs.k-state.edu/summerhealthprogram/
Pro X and KC Scholars Summer Internship Opportunity
KC Scholars is looking for high school students for a 5 week paid summer internship opportunity. Students will need to commit to 25 hours per week and will be paid $1250 for their time. Prior to the internship, students will participate in a workshop to learn how to create a resume, interview tips, and prepare for the ProX Hiring Fair which will lead to their summer internship that is aligned with your interests. Application opens March 11th. For more information, visit https://proxsummer.org/.
Johnson County Community College – Summer Transportation Institute -
When: Monday – Friday, July 25 – August 5, 8am-5pm
Where: We will start on the main campus of Johnson County Community College each morning.
Participants will be traveling throughout the metro to participate in hands-on
demonstrations at airports, rail yards, trucking centers, waterfront ports, etc.
Cost: $0, all expenses are covered
Who: The camp is open to anyone, but we are targeting female, minority, and disadvantaged
youth who may not be able to attend other camps this summer.
Requirement: Participants must fill out an application. We are limited to 20 participants. The interest
form and course info can be found at www.jccc.edu/jcccnsti.
Selection Criteria:
• Must be entering 9th, 10th, or 11th grade in August.
• Must have completed algebra or will be qualified for enrollment in algebra in August.
• Must have a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.
• Must be a KS resident.
• Commit to attend all 10 days of the camp.
• Qualify for either free or reduced lunch
What will take place:
The Johnson County Summer Transportation Institute (JCSTI) will use resources both on and off campus
to allow students to explore in depth regional transportation industries. The transportation curriculum
will be focus on land (rail and trucking), air (air traffic control), and water (inland ports and barge
transportation). While experiencing firsthand the inner workings of these transportation industries,
students will gain knowledge of efforts towards a sustainable transportation system. Further the JCSTI
will partner with the JCCC Center for Sustainability to provide curriculum in sustainable transportation.
The curriculum will also include enhancement activities designed to help students with career planning
and overall professionalism within the workplace.
As an on-going project throughout the camp, students will work in groups on a project to reflect on how
all the modes of transportation come together to move goods. The students will be tasked with planning
how to transport goods across the country using rail, truck, inland waterway, and air. The student
groups will be assessed based on how quickly they can transport the goods, the estimate cost of doing
so, and how much of a carbon footprint their proposed shipping will leave behind. Each day of the camp,
students will collaborate on their project for at least one hour.
For a copy of the application, please contact Mrs. Johns, DHS Counselor
Questions? Please contact Molly Salisbury at summeryouth@jccc.edu.
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.