Wildcat Growl
February 7, 2020
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,
We would like to recognize our two Students of the Month for January, Mason Ericson, and Delaney Lecluyse. Both are outstanding students and involved in multiple activities at DHS. Thank you, and congrats to you both!
Our Teachers of the Month for January are Abby Adams and Bruce Yarbrough. We appreciate both for what they bring to DHS!
Congratulations to the following DHS staff members for being selected for the USD232 District Innovation Team! Tim Mispagel, Drew Proctor, Solitaire Ware, and Ben Cook were chosen from a group of talented applicants. These teachers will serve as skills consultants in the use of our devices and apps for learning and teaching that align with our Teacher and Student Technology Standards. Congratulations!
On Tuesday, February 25th, all juniors will be taking the ACT that is provided by the state of Kansas. As a reminder ACT is used for college admissions, university scholarships, and can predict college readiness. This ACT test can be a reportable ACT test that students can submit to colleges. In November it was communicated that juniors would be signed up unless parents chose to opt their student out. Parents and students do not need to do any additional registration through ACT. As we get closer to this exam, DHS will share testing room locations for all juniors. After the exam, ACT will mail every student their score report to their home address.
2020 Hall of Fame Inductions was postponed to Tuesday, February 11th, 2020. We are proud to recognize the Hall of Fame Class of 2020: Patsy Lucas-Allenbrand – Class of 1968, Ryan Johnson – Class of 1992, Carrie Buckley – Class of 1992, and Dr. William Hageman – Class of 1995. There will be a reception and dinner for the inductees and their family 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 of these individuals to attend on February 11th.
Information about upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences can be found on our website. Wednesday, February 12 will include an AVID 9 Elective, AP Capstone Diploma, and Senior Symposium presentation. Please note a change in schedule from previous years. This year, we set aside time each day for the teachers to eat dinner. Please know that teachers will not be available during this time.
2020-2021 School Year Course Selection is still underway, and Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences make for a great opportunity to engage teachers in discussions about your student’s selections. The deadline for students to turn in their course selection form is February 20th. A confirmation letter will be mailed home in March. Changes can be made through April 3rd. Important information about the courses we offer can be found in the Course Guide on our website. We are offering several new courses next year, so students and parents should review the course guide before completing the course guide form.
Have a great weekend,
Sam Ruff
Congratulations to Scholars Bowl for being the UKC Conference Champions!!
The De Soto Scholars Bowl team earned the 2020 Regional Championship after going 11-1 in the regional tournament, hosted by F.L. Schlagle High School. The team includes members Sara Murphy, Abi Yarbrough, and Luke LeBar, along with senior captain Brandin Chase and seniors Mason Ericson and Austin Bradley. All players answered at least seven questions at the tournament, and the team averaged 79.6 points per round, scoring on about half of the questions. St. James placed second with a 10-2 record, followed by Seaman and St. Thomas Aquinas. The Scholars Bowl team has now qualified for the State Tournament and will compete on Saturday, February 15th at Seaman High School in Topeka.
The team is coached by Phil Hamilton and Philip Kaul.
Girls Varsity Bowling
Opening Weekend for Forensics
Varsity Girls Basketball
Congratulations DHS Visual Arts
Varsity Boys Bowling
Varsity Wrestling
Science Olympiad
On Saturday, January 25th, 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. Making Wildcat history, DHS ranked 5th overall; this is the first time our team has ever ranked in the top six teams to be announced as finalists in ANY of our competitions since the team was assembled eight years ago! This is quite an accomplishment for them as they competed against a few private schools as well. The team also brought home eight placing medals:
- 1st place in “Chemistry Lab,” a challenge in problem solving through experimentation and knowledge of chemical concepts
- 1st place in “Water Quality,” a testing event over the knowledge of marine and estuary aquatic environments
- 2nd place in “Sounds of Music,” a challenge in building a musical instrument and demonstrating knowledge of music theory
- 4th place in “Ornithology,” a testing event over the knowledge of bird species
- 4th place in “Dynamic planet,” an in-depth exam on plate tectonics
- 5th place in “Ping Pong Parachute,” a challenge in building two bottle rockets that are capable of launching a ping pong ball with an attached parachute that will remain in the air for as long as possible.
- 5th place in “Forensics,” a laboratory investigation to solve a crime simulation
- 5th place in “Write it, Do it,” a challenge in technical writing in which one partner describes an object and the other partner must use their writing to build the object from its components, sight unseen
We wouldn’t have been able to place as high as we did without the participation of all team members; congratulations to all who came, who saw, who did science. Our next competition is the regional tournament at JCCC on Saturday, February 29th.
Planning Successful Transitions for Special Education
Our families play an important role in supporting their child with special needs as they navigate different transitions throughout their school careers. At this forum, we will have staff available to share information and answer questions parents may have pertaining to transitions. If you are interested in attending on forum on Feb. 25, please register HERE.
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.
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.
Johnson County Library offering College and Career Planning program
Johnson County Library is offering an upcoming College and Career Planning program at two different locations:
College and Career Planning
Planning for the expense of a college education can be overwhelming and intimidating. College and Career consultant, Jason Anderson, will discuss the college admissions and financial aid landscape to help you lesson the worry.
Tuesday, Feb 18th 6-730 @ Blue Valley Library 9000 W 151st St, Overland Park, KS
Tuesday, Mar 10th 6-730 @ Lenexa City Center Library 8778 Penrose Lane, Lenexa KS
Sandwiches and sides will be served starting at 5:30 pm.
Register online https://www.jocolibrary.org/events or call 913-826-4600.
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.
JCCC Scholarship Application: Deadline April 1, 2020
Seniors: if you are going to JCCC next year, don’t forget to fill out the JCCC scholarship application. The Scholarship Priority Deadline is April 1. There are millions of dollars available for a variety of degree and program areas. With just one application, students could be eligible for hundreds of JCCC scholarships.
In addition, Johnson County high school graduates are eligible for:
- CavGuarantee Scholarship (3.25+ GPA)
- Guarantees $500 for their first year at JCCC
- President’s Scholarship (3.50+ GPA)
- Covers 12 credit hours and $300 for textbooks each semester and is renewable
Course Selection Information:
- Course Selection Meetings: Last week, counselors concluded meetings with the individual grade levels. To view the presentations that were given go to: https://www.usd232.org/Page/4417
- Course Selection Forms Due Date: Forms will need to be turned into Student Services no later than February 19th.
- Honors/AP Course Meetings during Seminar: This time is specifically set aside for Honors and AP teachers to meet and discuss with interested student’s information about their Honors or AP course. Students are highly encouraged to attend to help determine if the Honors/AP course is the right fit for them. Meetings will begin January 27 and run through February 11 during seminar. Students will receive a Honors/AP Course meeting schedule during their course selection meeting.
- Course Selection Change FINAL Deadline: Students will have until April 3rd to make any changes in their course selection for next school year. After this deadline, no schedule changes will be allowed unless it meets the specific criteria that is listed on the course selection form.
Scholarships for Seniors:
All of the local scholarships that are available to DHS seniors will be posted on the Student Services website by the end of February. These scholarships include: De Soto Teachers Association, DHS Cat Boosters, VFW, Casey Blake Johnson Running Scholarship, J. Trenton Hughes Memorial Scholarship and a few others. Please note the application deadlines are in April, but each scholarship has different deadlines. Winners are announced at Senior Breakfast/ Awards Ceremony in May.
Olathe Healthcare Scholarship:
The Olathe Health Healthcare Career Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to seniors graduating from the high schools in our service area who choose to pursue a career in the healthcare field. Olathe Health will award scholarships annually to graduating seniors at each of the area high schools. The deadline for this scholarship is February 28th. For more information visit: https://www.olathehealth.org/scholarships
High School Hangar Days!
It’s a future female aviator’s dream. High school women are invited to the Garmin hangar for free flights in a Garmin plane, flight simulations fun and tours of the hangar. Oh, and did we mention the pizza? Because there will be pizza. Students can choose to attend March 3 or March 5. Space is limited. Please RSVP by Wednesday, February 26th. All waivers must be signed by a parent/guardian and returned prior to the event. If you have any questions, please contact Garmin HR representative Katie Allgood at katie.allgood@garmin.com or 913-441-1950. Students can also visit High School Hangar Days website for information.
De Soto Wildcats Customized Yard Sign
DHS - "Start thinking about warmer weather with a NEW Wildcat Yard Sign!"
Order Forms Now Available. The 2020 Spring Order Deadline will be Tues, March 24th.