![page background](https://cdn.smore.com/u/backgrounds/custom_bg-659c424f97aab8b7e4438e12-535bc8d9be1c.jpg)
Wildcat Growl
March 3, 2024
![Wildcat Growl March 3, 2024](https://cdn.smore.com/u/2108/363969f1f93dd281ae3e07b571dfb4ff.jpg)
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,
Congrats to both the Boys and Girls Basketball Teams for qualifying for the 5A State Championship at White Auditorium in Emporia. The boys team will play Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School at 4:00 pm on Wednesday, March 6th. The girls team will play Seaman High School at 4:00 pm on Thursday, March 7th. Good Luck, Wildcats!
Congratulations to the members of the Wildcat Bowling team that participated in KSHSAA 5A State Meet over the weekend. Avery Lovegren finished 24th with a 529, Kira Lynch finished 28th with a 512, and Sean Graham finished 26th with a 611. Great job representing DHS!
We hope you were able to see the winter play, The Curious Savage. Congratulations to the cast and crew on a wonderful show!
Student Wildcats of the Month: Congratulations to the following students for being recognized as the Wildcats of the Month for February. Each department is recognizing the following students:
- Performing and Fine Arts – Logan Fixsen
- CTE – Lily Ensley
- English – Isabella Guess
- Math – Kennedy Hunderdosse
- Social Studies – Jason Neubauer
- Science – Sophia Chapman
- PE - Branden Burgos
- World Language – Sydney Coffman
Staff Wildcats of the Month: We’d also like to congratulate Jess Kelley and Abbey Heller. Ms. Heller serves DHS as a Counselor and Head Dance Coach. Mrs. Kelley is a teacher in the Special Services department and coaches basketball. Both have been named the Staff Wildcats of the Month for February. We appreciate all they do!
Congratulations to Mrs. Elizabeth Crainshaw! Mrs. Crainshaw has been nominated to represent DHS as Kansas Teacher of the Year. The next step in the process is to determine the USD232 Secondary Teacher of the Year. Good luck, Mrs. Crainshaw!
The USD 232 Education Foundation in partnership with Great American Bank is thrilled to announce that Javier Vieyra, a second-year social studies teacher and head wrestling coach at De Soto High School, has been honored with the January 2024 Making a Difference Award! Mr. Vieyra received a $250 personal check and engraved trophy designed by CTEC CAPS students. Nominated by a student for his qualities as an educator and mentor, Mr. Vieyra's dedication goes beyond the classroom, providing unwavering support to his students in and out of the classroom.
Making a Difference Nominees: Congratulations to Elizabeth Crainshaw, Adam Huber, Abby Huggins, and Nancy Cabral for being nominated as a USD 232 Making a Difference Award winner for January 2024! New nominations are reviewed monthly so you can submit a form on a monthly basis for any deserving nominee. Making a Difference Nomination Form
Applications for Ambassadors and Mentors (A&M) Crew for the 2024-2025 school year are open! A&M Crew members serve DHS as Freshman Mentors, provide building tours for new students, volunteer for event support throughout the year, and assist with peer tutoring. Any DHS student who will be a junior or senior during the 2024-2025 school year is eligible to apply. Current A&M Crew members will need to reapply. Any questions can be directed to Mrs. Adams aadams@usd232.org . To apply fill out the following application and teacher recommendation by March, 29th 2024: https://forms.gle/BkRJE3g9phKnTSdT8.
Our counselors are busy meeting with students regarding course selection for the 2024-2025 school year. If you have not already taken care of this important task, please schedule a time to meet with your counselor. The deadline is March 6th.
The end of the third quarter is Friday, March 8th. Spring Break begins Monday, March 11th, and continues through Monday, March 18th. Students will return to a White Day on Tuesday, March 19th. The DHS main offices are closed on Friday, March 8th, from 3:30 PM through Monday, March 18th.
Families of senior and junior students interested in helping organize and run 2024 Gradfest, please contact us at sruff@usd232.org. Thank you.
Thanks, and have a great week.
Sam Ruff
Principal
De Soto High School
2024 State Basketball Information Class 5A - Emporia
From KSHSAA: The KSHSAA would like to thank the community of Emporia for allowing us to host our state basketball tournament at White Auditorium. Since our fans are guests of the facility, we ask that all fans abide by the following guidelines.
- No Helium filled balloons or confetti is permitted in the facility
- Spectators are assigned seating locations according to a predetermined assignment made by the KSHSAA, not necessarily based on the seed of the team. Please observe these seating assignments.
- No artificial noisemakers are allowed in the facility.
- No spirit props, balls, t-shirts or any other item may be thrown out to the crowd by spirit groups.
- Signs may not be taped to the railings. Use string or zip ties to attach signs.
- All fans are to abide by Rule 52 and display good Sportsmanship.
- Fans must stay off the court after the conclusion of all games.
- No coolers or outside food or drink are allowed in the facility.
- Ticket booths open one hour prior to the first game. Credit and debit cards are accepted.
- Updated brackets are available by going to kshsaa.org and clicking on the state tournament site, look for the icon – updated state brackets.
Student Wildcats of the Month - February
Staff Wildcats of the Month - February
Javier Vieyra - Making a Difference
Hidden in Plain View: An Initiative to Help Parents Spot Signs of Risky Behavior
We wanted to send a quick reminder about Hidden in Plain View: An Initiative to Help Parents Spot Signs of Risky Behavior at Mill Valley High School on Thursday, March 7 at 6:30 PM. We have invited local experts from the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Shawnee Police Department to join the panel discussion. Resource tables with support materials will be available to all families which include parent toolkit booklets and drug disposal bags. Here is the link to sign up if you wish to attend > Hidden in Plain View Presentation
There is also a documentary film we currently have access to that is a great resource > Don’t Wait. Use code: USD232 to watch this film free > https://bit.ly/DontWaitUSD232
Science Olympiad Regional Results
On Saturday, February 24th, the DHS Science Olympiad team competed in the regional tournament with other Northeast Kansas high schools. They placed 10th overall out of the 18 regional teams.
The following teams brought home placements in their events:
Astronomy, 4th place: Evan Johnsson and Addie Easter
Microbe Mission, 4th place: Daniel Morosov and Addie Easter
Fermi Questions, 5th place: Cael Province and Evan Johnsson
Our overall placement was high enough to qualify us for the state competition for the 9th consecutive year. The team will travel to Wichita State on Friday, April 5th to compete against the top Kansas schools.
Please congratulate;
Seniors: Daniel Morozov, Isabella Holwick, Isabelle Butler, Cael Province
Juniors: Diego Diaz, Evan Johnsson, Bella Guess
Sophomore: Matthew Barber
Freshman: Addie Easter
"Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day" (IGED)
On Feb 23rd female engineering students attended the "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day" (IGED) conference which is a diversity outreach program designed to provide female engineering students with an opportunity to learn about science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) careers.
Students enjoyed motivational presentations, connected with a mentor, and participated in large and small group activities that provided opportunities to learn about a number of STEAM careers, listened to a keynote speaker and panel discussions. It also provided an opportunity to meet with, and learn with other girls about the field of engineering.
Students were put in groups for a hands-on activity to "Design a Mechanical Grabber" to move the most number of objects into a scoring zone in 30 seconds. Extra points were given to teams with more than one pivot point on the mechanical grabber. Students were given rules & constraints and restricted to time limits to perform each step, working under pressure. Groups then tested their device and competed against other teams. DHS student, Aurora Straight, was paired with a student from another school in the metro area and took 2nd place out of over 90 teams participating.
KAEA Youth Art Month
Senior Clark Billinger's still-life drawing is on display at the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library during March for the Kansas Art Education Association's Youth Art Month Exhibit.
A digital copy of his artwork will be featured on March 18th on the Kansas Art Education website and the Kansas Art Teachers' Facebook page.
Athletic Signing Day, Wednesday, May 1st
The DHS athletic department is planning an Athletic Signing Day for Wednesday, May 1st, 2024 in the Main Gym beginning at 3:00pm.
We are currently compiling a list of students that have signed letters of intent to continue their athletic careers after high school.
If you have signed a letter of intent with a college/university, please use the link below to complete a form so the athletic department at DHS has a complete list of all students graduating in 2024 that plan to compete at the collegiate level.
Link to form: https://forms.gle/S7zjSBxYbXsyZmi86
Trades/Apprenticeship Info Night - Panasonic
Hello, USD 232 Juniors, Seniors and Parents,
As “life after high school” gets closer each day, we’re excited to invite you to a unique event highlighting a wide range of opportunities that could be available after graduation.
Please join us from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, in the De Soto High School Performing Arts Center (35000 W. 91st Street, De Soto, KS 66018). You’ll enjoy an evening of learning more about Trade Careers & Apprenticeships, and we appreciate Panasonic Energy for being the presenting sponsor of the event. Area business/industry and trade school representatives will present a variety of information about how to get involved in high-demand and high-wage trade careers with ZERO college debt. The program will wrap up with a Q&A with the audience.
RSVP and Parking Information
Students who assist their journalism programs are more than welcome to attend (note: photographs only, no video recordings).
Please RSVP here by March 4th to reserve space – https://forms.office.com/r/8Qc2NFh4Er – and see the attached map for parking information and attached event flyer.
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
Bullying and Online Harassment
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.
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.