Wildcat Growl
April 24, 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,
Congratulation to the following 2022 Prom Candidates: Isabella Wiltfong, Lily Werner, Amy Rocha, Tristen Bogart, Kennedy Pickert, CJ Krudwig, Luke VanBooven, Landon Reith, Kyle Newberry, and Will Bodenhausen.
Lily Werner and Landon Reith were crowned at the coronation ceremony that took place during our all-school assembly on Friday, April 22nd. Congrats to all!
Thanks to our Pep Club members and sponsors, Katie Fitzpatrick and Melissa Lehrman for organizing and planning the assembly. Congrats to the seniors for winning the relay and to Drew Proctor for winning the staff lip sync battle.
Thank you to Caroline Friday and chaperons Leah Vomhof, Ryan Johnson, Abby Huggins, Anne Lightcap, Joe Kordalski, Kaitlin Britt, Michelle Mages, Susan Coffee, Megan O'Boyle, and Emily Thayer for a great prom.
Please join us for our first-ever Wildcat Wellness Week! Each day during seminar students and staff will have an opportunity to participate in an activity related to overall wellness. Students who choose to attend should be dismissed to the student union after announcements during seminar. There will be activities related to mental health, nutrition, and physical activity along with a bingo game that participants can complete during the week. Completed bingo cards will be entered into a drawing for prizes! Information about the daily activities is provided below.
De Soto High School Dance Marathon is Saturday, April 30th. This fundraiser has student teams participating in all kinds of fun activities. Students can begin forming teams now by scanning the QR code on the flyers around the school. If you are interested in contributing to their efforts, information about the Children’s Miracle Network and the De Soto Dance Marathon can be reviewed on the Dance Marathon website. A short video about Dance Marathon can also be found here.
Seniors, look for detailed information related to Gradfest, Senior Awards, and the Class of 2022 graduation ceremony to be emailed to you and your family early next week.
Thanks, and have a great week.
Sam Ruff
Principal
De Soto High School
Prepped and Ready: Experts Edition
Children’s Mercy has created Prepped and Ready: Experts Edition, a free online video series for parents and caregivers who are raising teens. This educational series is being offered online and brings the experts at Children’s Mercy right to parents and before there is a crisis with topics covering vaping, hard conversation, safe storage and more.
Allergy Season!
- Shower after spending time outdoors- prevents transfer of pollen to your bedding at night and decreases symptoms. At the very least, change clothes and wash your hands and face.
- Take your shoes off at the door- reduces pollen transfer to carpets and furniture.
- Use a sinus rinse- a neti pot or over the counter sinus wash kit can help rinse allergens from your nose. Just make sure to follow directions for safe use.
- Consider a daily allergy medication- antihistamines like Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra can be very helpful in controlling symptoms. Nasal sprays and eye drops can also be helpful.
Allergy medication option:http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases- conditions/allergies/in-depth/allergy-medications/art-20047403
Why antihistamines work best when taken consistently: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/pretreatment?scrlybrkr#2
Save Benadryl (diphenhydramine) for bedtime or sever allergic reactions. It often makes students too sleepy for use during school.
- If your student is still miserable after home treatments, consider consulting with your pediatrician or allergist. There are prescription medication and other allergy treatments that may help.
Finally, remember the school health room does NOT have antihistamines for seasonal allergies. You must treat these at home!
KMEA Band
Our two instrumental groups performed very well at yesterday’s KSHSAA’s State Large Group Festival. Our Wind Ensemble received a 1 rating and our Symphonic band received a 2 rating. We are proud of both groups.
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/
Scholarships for Seniors:
The DHS Seniors Only Scholarships are now available for seniors to access. We are waiting on two more that will be posted by the end of February. Click on the following link: https://www.usd232.org/Page/3287
- Jess Johnson Scholarship (Rotary Club): Deadline April 30
Winners will be announced at the Senior Awards Ceremony that is currently scheduled for May 18th.
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.