Wildcat Growl
November 15, 2019
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
Wildcat Students and Parents,
Tonight, our 10-0 De Soto High School Football team hosts Mill Valley High School in a Class 5A Sectional playoff game. The gates open at 5:15 pm, and the game starts at 7:00 pm. The theme for the night is “Green Out”. We hope to see everyone at the game.
Congratulations to all the staff and students involved in our fall production of Annie. There are two more opportunities to see a performance, Saturday, November 16th at 7:00 pm, and Sunday, November 17th at 2:30 pm.
Congratulations to the following students that made this year's ECKMEA District Honor Bands: Brandin Chase, Sydney D'Andrea, Josh Daniels, Jacob Dority, Aidan Hamer, Noah Kuhn, TJ Taylor, Nic Weaver, Connor Cravens, and Dylan Handley.
Additionally, congratulations to the following students that made this year’s ECKMEA District Honor Choir: Elizabeth Ashley, Alex Bonilla, Ashlen Boresow, Claire Kennard, Tiye Kindred, Annie Winter, Mallory Charcut, Devon Fornal, Bryson Kendall, Makenna Kerr, Morgan Laney, Mathys Moore, Natalie Nusz, Chase O'Bannon, Emma Vanlerberg-June, Brayden Wadehra.
Next week, DHS celebrates Wildcat Community Week. Each day has a theme designed to share positivity, reinforce good choices, and build on the DHS #CultureofCare.
On November 8th, we sent a message to all juniors and parents of juniors. This Skyward message included information about the February 25th ACT exam for all juniors. Junior students will not need to sign-up for the February 25th ACT, as the district is taking care of this step in the process. The message also provided information about the WorkKeys assessment on Feb 26th. The link to sign-up for the WorkKeys was included in the attachment. Please review the information and contact your counselor if you have any questions.
On Wednesday, January 15th, 2020, 7:00 pm, USD232 will hold a special screening of the documentary Angst: Raising Awareness about Anxiety, at the De Soto High School Theater. More information will be released in the weeks to come.
Graduation may seem far off, but May 16th will be here before we know it. Seniors and senior parents may want to review the information posted on our website.
Kind Regards,
Sam Ruff
Wildcats Claim a Regional Championship!
Shop online and Earn Money for the Wildcats!
DHS Debate
The DHS Debate team hosted their home invitational on Saturday, November 9th. Over 150 competitors from 14 different schools attended. Students are pictured showing off their new team shirts created by Mr. Mispagel’s Emerging Technologies class.
ECKMEA District Honor Choir
The Wildcat Choir program recently found out that 16 students were selected to be a part of the East Central Kansas Music Educator’s Association District Honor Choir. This is a prestigious honor and will be an incredible experience for our students. They will get to work with nationally known clinicians and go on to compete for spots in the State Honor Choir as well.
Please congratulate them if you see them!
Elizabeth Ashley
Alex Bonilla
Ashlen Boresow
Claire Kennard
Tiye Kindred
Annie Winter
Mallory Charcut
Devon Fornal
Bryson Kendall
Makenna Kerr
Morgan Laney
Mathys Moore
Natalie Nusz
Chase O’Bannon
Emma Vanlerberg-June
Brayden Wadehra
For the complete results, visit the following link
https://dhswildcatnation.com/2019/11/11/eckmea-district-honor-choir/
ECKMEA District Honor Bands
Congratulations to the following students that made this year's ECKMEA District Honor Bands. They auditioned against almost 1000 other students this weekend at Olathe East High School and we are happy with DHS's representation (the most students since DHS moved up to 5A!). We are also proud of all the students that auditioned. Make sure to congratulate them when you see them this week!
Brandin Chase, Trumpet - Blue Band
Sydney D'Andrea, Alto Sax - Red Band
Josh Daniels, Trumpet - Gold Band
Jacob Dority, Trombone - Red Band
Aidan Hamer, Trombone - Red Band
Noah Kuhn, Snare - Gold Band
TJ Taylor, Snare - Red Band
Nic Weaver, Trumpet - Jazz Band
Connor Cravens, Bari Sax - Alternate
Dylan Handley, Euphonium - Alternate
For the complete results, visit the following link:https://dhswildcatnation.com/2019/11/11/eckmea-district-honor-band/
DHS Art students work selected for regional show
The following De Soto Art Students had work accepted into the Annual Merriam High School Visual Arts Competition at the Tim Murphy Art Gallery. For the show, 151 art works were selected, out of 1,036 art works submitted from 23 area high schools.
Julie Steeb
Annika Jungfleisch
Sydney D'Andrea
Erica Hoelting
Alex Braley
December 5 Opening reception from 7 – 8:30 p.m. Awards ceremony begins at 8:00 p.m. Live music by The Band Anna KC.
December 5-28 Exhibition open to public
Tim Murphy Art Gallery
Irene B. French Community Center
5701 Merriam Drive
Merriam, KS 66203
DHS Art Students Placed at the DeSoto Arts Council Fall Fine Arts and Crafts show
The following DHS Art Students Placed at the DeSoto Arts Council Fall Fine Arts and Crafts show this weekend 11/8-9.
Julie Steeb
First Place -- Julie Steeb for her drawing "Self Portrait with Camel"
Alex Braley
Second Place -- Alex Braley for his 3D work "Trashy"
Hannah Purkey
Third Place -- Hannah Purkey for her Self Portrait
Winter Sports Practices begin on Monday, November 18th, 2019
- Concussion Tutorials: Student-athletes need to attend a concussion tutorial as it is a KSHSAA requirement before practice is allowed
- Athletic Registration: Students and parents both need to complete their portion of the Athletic Participation Registration process within Skyward and have a physical completed by a licensed physician on file with the Athletic Department before students may participate in try-outs, practices, and/or competitions. 2019-20 physicals must be dated post May 1st, 2019. Physical forms are available in the Main Office.
- Head Coach contact information:
BOYS BASKETBALL Coach: Matt Rice mrice@usd232.org
GIRLS BASKETBALL Coach: Ryan Robie rrobie@usd232.org
BOWLING Coach: JR Kindred jrk9161981@gmail.com
BOYS SWIMMING Coach: Kayla Ayer kayer@usd232.org
WRESTLING Coach: Dale Hurt dhurt@usd232.org
Mazuma CUDisrupt Innovation Challenge
DHS had six seniors participate in the Mazuma CUDisrupt Innovation Challenge on Wed., Nov. 6th with others students from other KC Area High Schools.
Christine Colwell
Taylor Ellis
Quinlan Robke
Colin Campbell
Ethan Iddings
Cooper Pflaum
Mazuma awarded $5,000 in total prizes to the winning teams.
1st Place - Each student received $300.00
2nd Place - Each student received $300.00
Congratulations to:
Ethan - 1st Place *Challenge Topic 2
Cooper 2nd Place *Challenge Topic 2
Colin - 1st Place *Challenge Topic 1
Scholars Bowl Season is in full swing!
The Scholars Bowl season is in full swing after its fourth week of tournament play. The Varsity team has been quite successful, going 20-10 over its first four tournaments. At Bonner Springs on October 22nd, a group that included Matthewos Abebe, Reagan Ames, Josie Butler, Isabel Haake, Ryan Handley, and Carson Klover battled to a 4-4 record, with all members answering questions. It was the first varsity tournament for everyone but Isabel, who led the team as captain. Two days later, the team competed at Tonganoxie, going 5-1 and just missing finals on tiebreakers. It was led by seniors Sydney Ames, Erin Pickert, and Lauren Stanton. They were joined by Sara Murphy, Kennedy Ebberts, and Chase Krehbiel. The team was even more successful at the St. James tournament, going 6-3 and earning 4th place. The team featured veterans Emily Kresin, Sara Murphy, and Abi Yarbrough, along with Mason Laney, Ryan Barber, and Kyle Smith all playing at their first Varsity tournament. Finally, we competed at Washburn Rural on November 6th, going 5-2 and just missing finals. That team was also impressive because it featured a number of players at their first tournament. Faxon Freeman, Anika Shroder, Jaycee Swift, and Luke LeBar were all playing at their first Varsity tournament. They were led by veteran Sophia Stine, and team captain and senior Lauren Stanton. All members scored points at each tournament, and we are excited about this team’s potential.
The Scholars Bowl team hosts a 20-team JV tournament on Monday, November 18th, and it follows that with three more competitions next week. To stay up to date on all of our events, please follow our twitter account @dhsscholarsbowl.
Be on the lookout for an update on our JV team in next week’s Growl.
Scholars Bowl is an academic contest where teams compete to show what they have learned in school. It features head-to-head competition between teams of five players, quick response answers, time limits on questions, and the use of buzzers. Most questions come from the following seven categories: World Language, Social Studies, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Fine Arts, and Year in Review. The Varsity team is coached by Phillip Hamilton, and the JV team is coached by Philip Kaul.
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 an 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.
Study Tables
Study Tables:
De Soto High School is providing time and space for students to collaborate and study after school. Study Tables will take place in the Student Union Monday through Thursday from 3:00 pm until 4:00 pm. Students will have the opportunity to give and receive academic assistance from classmates. this supervised time is intended to support students in pursuit of academic success.
Notes from the Nurse
Thank you for your support!
Vision Testing November 20-21
Five Day Exclusion
The seven day exclusion policy for influenza (flu) has changed from seven days to five days. Students and staff who are diagnosed with the flu will be excluded for five days, starting with the first day of symptoms. For example, if a staff member feels ill on Sunday and goes to the doctor and is diagnosed with flu on Wednesday, the five day exclusion starts on Sunday.
Students and staff must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of medication to bring down the temperature. If a staff member has followed the five day exclusion, but still has a fever on day six, the staff member must still be excluded until fever free with medication.
When should my student stay home?
An important part of high school is practicing skills for adulthood, like attending school when you have mild symptoms. Students need to develop the ability to successfully push through minor discomforts. This builds confidence in their ability to conquer hardships and prepares them for future employment with limited sick days.
Stay Home!
If your child has vomited or had diarrhea in the last 24 hours, please keep them home until they have been free of these symptoms for a FULL 24 hours without ibuprofen or Tylenol for a FULL 24 hours. When you send them back too early, you are choosing to expose others and risk prolonging your child's recovery.
Message from Student Services
College Credit Deadlines Approaching:
Students who are enrolled in DHS Classes that count toward college credit, need to be aware of the upcoming deadlines. Please visit the College Credit/Dual Enrollment page for more information
For more information on each of these programs and how to enroll please click here.
Scholarship Information:
Looking for money to help pay for college? Check out the DHS Student Services Scholarship page! Throughout the year scholarships will be posted that are available to seniors. There is also a “Scholarship Search Tips” that can help aid the search process. Click here to go to the page.
College Visits:
If your student will be going on a college visit, students must fill out a College Visit Form. Forms are available in Student Services or online by clicking here. Students are to take the form with them on the day of the visit and bring it back signed by an admissions representative.
High School Leadership Conference at OSU
HSLC is a three-day adventure into leadership exclusively for high school juniors from across the United States. The purpose of HSLC is to equip, empower, and inspire high school students with valuable leadership skills that will benefit them in their daily lives and help them impact their schools. Students will leave the conference embodying characteristics that will help them become productive, efficient leaders. Please watch this video: https://vimeo.com/317874613
The conference will be held on February 14-16, 2020, at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. HSLC 2020 applications open NOVEMBER 5TH, 2019, and can be accessed at hslc.ou.edu. Students do not need to be involved in Student Council and/or leadership. This conference is for ALL students in organizations, clubs, and activities.
The High School Leadership Conference provides full and partial tuition waivers for students in need, so they are able to attend the conference.
Note: Students do not have to be interested in attending the University of Oklahoma. The university is simply our hosting site, and all students are encouraged to apply.