Wildcat Growl
February 26, 2023
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
Wildcat Family,
Congratulations to all of our students that participated in the United Kansas Conference Math Competition. DHS dominated the competition, taking first place in 5 of 6 categories.
Congratulations to the following students that have qualified for State Forensics later this year: Nic Weaver, Marilyn Schlotzhauer, Ace Red Corn, Cael Province, Norah Kelly, Claire McGinn, Kennedy Farrier, and Maya Rajapakse.
On Friday, February 24th, the DHS Jazz Band was honored to perform at the KMEA State Conference. Congrats to Mr. Kaul on this honor, and congratulations to the Jazz Band on a great performance.
We have so many outstanding musicians at DHS! Congratulations to Emily Mlodzik for earning All-State Choir. Nic Weaver and Aiden Hamer for All-State Jazz Band. Cole Bichelmeyer and Ryan Lange for All-State Orchestra. Nick Maskil, Gavin Billinger, and Dylan Handley for All-State Band. Great job!
The Varisty Girls' Basketball team begins their postseason play by traveling to Shawnee Heights High School on Tuesday, February 28th. SHHS only takes cash at the gate, and the game is scheduled to start at 7:00 pm. Good luck, ladies!
The Varsity Boys' Basketball team begins their postseason play by hosting Leavenworth HS at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, March 1st. Just a reminder that DHS student/adult passes cannot be used at KSHSAA tournament events. Information will be sent out Monday on how to purchase tickets in advance.
The Boys' Varsity Bowling Team finishes 2nd in the Regional, qualifying Collin Bode, Colby Lovegren, Antonio Miranda, Rob Ramsey, Luke Swanson, and Jacob Smith for the KSHSAA State Bowling Tournament this week in Wichita. Good luck, team!
The Girls' Varsity Bowling Team finished 6th, with two Wildcats qualifying for the KSHSAA State Bowling Tournament - Kira Lynch and Julie Steeb. Good luck, ladies.
Spring sports start tomorrow, February 27th. Please make sure that all required Skyward forms are complete.
On Tuesday, February 28th during G1-G3, all Juniors will be taking the ACT that is provided by the state of Kansas. As a reminder, the ACT is used for college admissions, and university scholarships, and can predict college readiness. This ACT test can be a reportable test that students can submit to colleges. Room rosters are posted in the commons. Students should check these to know where to report by 7:50 am on February 28th.
The Leadership and Service Class has been hard at work planning for the Dance Marathon taking place at DHS, on Sunday, March 5th from 1 - 5 pm.
The end of the third quarter is Friday, March 10th. Spring Break begins Monday, March 13th, and continues through Monday, March 20th. Students will return to a White Day on Tuesday, March 21st. The DHS main offices are closed on Friday, March 10th, from 3:30 PM through Monday, March 20th.
Please take note of the second-semester final exam schedule. It will be important for students to attend during this time. In the interest of test security, we will expect students that are absent during final exams to take their exams when they return.
Thanks, and have a great week!
Sam Ruff
Principal, DHS
Wednesday, March 1st Collaborative Team Time Late Start
DHS Students Dominate UKC Math Competition
DHS Science Olympiad Bring Home Individual Medals and Place 12th as a Team!
On Saturday, February 25th, the DHS Science Olympiad team competed in the regional tournament with other Northeast Kansas high schools. They placed 12th overall out of the 19 regional teams.
The following teams brought home placements in their events:
Dynamic Planet, 1st place: Alex Boresow and Lauren Fandre
Experimental Design, 2nd place: Alex Boresow, Lauren Fandre, and Cael Province
Fermi Questions, 2nd place: Alex Boresow and Isabella Holwick
Green Generation, 3rd place: Alex Boresow and Lauren Fandre
Write It/Do It, 6th place: Isabelle Butler and Isabella Holwick
Please congratulate and cheer on the following students if you see them; they appreciate your support.
Seniors: Alex Boresow (team captain), Lauren Fandre
Juniors: Daniel Morozov, Isabella Holwick, Isabelle Butler, Cael Province
Sophomores: Diego Diaz, Evan Johnsson
Freshmen: Matthew Barber, Devin Murrell
DHS Wrestling Qualifies 7 Boys for KSHSAA 5A State
Wildcat Swimmers Qualify for 5-1A State Swimming and Diving
Jasen Grammer on the 1M Springboard
Ryan Schottler on the block
Attendance Information
We want to share some important information and reminders for parents. We added a new Attendance Office to the north student entrance (door #21). This new student-only entrance/exit will be where students should be dropped off or picked up during the school day (7:50 am - 2:55 pm). Visitors will continue to use the Main Entrance on the south side of the building.
Advanced Placement Seminar
Dear Parents of College-Bound Students:
Recently, De Soto High School has added a course called Advanced Placement Seminar that is specifically designed to help students prepare for and succeed in Advanced Placement and future college courses. Not to be confused with our Seminar class, which is a study hall, Advanced Placement Seminar is a full class meant to help college-bound students improve the skills that they will need at the next level.
In AP Seminar, students will encounter both team and individual projects that help prepare them for the next level. The projects enhance their chances of being successful in college in the following ways:
- Develop Web Literacy Skills – Students learn how to navigate the obstacles of finding good information on the web, avoid misinformation, and select quality research, both for college courses and their own personal lives.
- Grow and Mature as Leaders and Teammates in an Academic Setting – The team project requires students to learn how to navigate interpersonal challenges and find success while supporting their groupmates. Students each write a paper from a different perspective of the same challenging issue that they have selected to explore as a team and use that research to build a team argument that they present to the class.
- Supports and Supplements Other Advanced Courses – The course builds general writing, reading, speaking, listening, and collaboration skills, which help across a variety of different content areas. It enhances Pre-AP and AP English classes with further reading and writing. It works on reading informative texts like what might be featured in AP Biology or AP European History. It helps students organize and keep track of long-term projects. It helps students improve both timed and formal writing like what they will find across a variety of demanding, college-level courses. It allows them to develop a comfort level with giving presentations to other learners.
- Manageable Course Load that Helps Students Get Ready to Be Successful in College Classes – While there is consistent homework in the class, the homework is designed to be manageable for students who are still new to college-level coursework. A single, dedicated study-hall session in regular seminar will usually be enough to complete the homework.
- Take it Any Year and Reap the Benefits – Advanced Placement Seminar is a great starter AP course for sophomores, a wonderful supplement to typical junior classes like AP Language and Composition and AP U.S. History, and an outstanding course for seniors who are making a final push to prepare for college.
- Gain College Credit and an AP Capstone Diploma – Students can gain credits that will transfer as either a research credit or an English credit at most universities. If the student moves on to AP Research and takes four other AP tests in high school, they will receive a special commendation from Advanced Placement that demonstrates to colleges that they are ready for the highest-level courses.
Even if your student has already selected classes for next year, it is not too late to switch into the course. We would love to have your advanced teen student in our class next year.
Sincerely,
Phillip Hamilton
AP Language and Composition, AP Seminar, and AP Research
USD232 Secondary Teacher of the Year, 2016
School Meals
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 a self-directed 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.
Need to contact 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
DHS Senior Only Scholarships
Scholarships for the De Soto High School Class of 2023 are now available. All applications can be found at https://www.usd232.org/Page/3287. Please follow the instructions for each individual application and submit by the deadline. All scholarship winners will be announced at the Senior Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 17th, 2023.
· DHS CAT Booster Scholarship: Application coming soon!
· De Soto Alumni/VFW Scholarship: Application coming soon!
· De Soto Teachers Association Scholarship: Deadline April 15
· Shawnee Vision Care Scholarship: Deadline April 14
· McCarthy Auto Group Scholarship: Deadline April 14
· Trenton Hughes Scholarship: Deadline April 21
· Casey Blake Johnson Running Scholarship: Deadline April 21
· Jess Johnson Scholarship (Rotary Club): Deadline April 30
Boys State of Kansas
Applications are now available for Boys State of Kansas. Boys State is week-long camp opportunity for current sophomore/junior boys to strengthen confidence, inspire leadership, build bonds of friendship, as well as an introduction to civic responsibility. Students must be ranked in the upper half of their graduating class, be a self-starter, and be involved in school and community extracurricular activities. Students who attend Boys State are eligible for college scholarships. Applications are due March 31st. For more information and to access the application, please visit https://ksbstate.org/.
JCCC Scholarships for the Senior Class of 2027
Seniors who are planning on attending JCCC next school year, need to fill out the JCCC Scholarship application by April 1st. Students who fill out the application by the deadline will be considered for all JCCC Scholarships including the ones listed below. To qualify for JCCC scholarships, students must be degree seeking. To access the JCCC Scholarship application, please visit https://www.jccc.edu/admissions/financial-aid/aid-types/scholarships/.
- Presidential Scholarship: This scholarship will be given to one high school senior from DHS. Students must have a 3.5 high school GPA or higher to be considered. Tuition for two years and a book stipend each semester will be awarded
- JCCC CavGuarantee Scholarship: This scholarship is awarded to any resident of JCCC who graduates from high school with a 3.25 unweighted GPA. Students will be awarded $500 for each semester, fall and spring. The scholarship is non-renewable and non-stackable. Students who receive other institutional scholarships
- Kansas Promise Act Scholarship: Covers two years of tuition at JCCC if you promise to live and work in Kansas for two years after finishing your degree. For more information, please visit their website at https://www.jccc.edu/admissions/financial-aid/aid-types/scholarships/kansas-promise/.
Kansas ScholarShop
In partnership with Sallie Mae, Kansas State Treasurer’s office has launched the Kansas ScholarShop initiative. ScholarShop aims to restore hope and excitement for students seeking educational and career advancement after high school. With access to 6 million scholarships worth up to $30 billion; students can search and find scholarships, grants and awards tailored specifically to their deepest passions. For more information visit: https://kansascash.ks.gov/scholarshop.html
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.