Wildcat Growl
March 12, 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,
We hope you are enjoying your Spring Break. When students return on Tuesday, March 21st (White Day), we will begin the final quarter of the 2022-2023 school year – an important time for everyone to reflect, focus, and make progress on your goals.
The United Kansas Conference Basketball coaches met last week to make their 2022-23 All UKC Selections. Eight Wildcats were chosen to the All-Conference list. Congratulations to the following athletes!
Four members of the Girls' Basketball Team were chosen for the All-Conference lists. Makenzie Farmer was selected as 1st Team All-Conference. Addison Tower and Violet Conley were selected as 2nd Team All UKC, and Amanda Tower was selected as Honorable Mention UKC. Congratulations Wildcats!
Four members of the Boys' Basketball Team were chosen for the All-Conference lists. David Cobin and Trent Johnson were selected as 1st Team All UKC. Jayden Lang was selected 2nd Team UKC, and Blake Hicks was selected as Honorable Mention UKC. David Cobin was selected as Player of the Year. Coach Matt Rice was named UKC Boys Basketball Coach of the Year. Congrats!
On Tuesday, March 7th, the De Soto High School Jazz Band competed at the Kansas Bandmasters Association (KBA) Jazz Championships in Wichita, KS. De Soto took home several awards, including: Outstanding Soloist Awards: Keegan Flynn, tenor sax; Aidan Hamer, trombone; Nic Weaver, trumpet; Nick Budimlija, drumset, and “Best in Class” Soloist Awards: Aidan Hamer, trombone; Nic Weaver, trumpet. The Wildcats received recognition for Outstanding 5A Trumpet Section, 2nd Place in Class 5A, and 3rd Place Overall. Congratulations!
The Horizon Award is a Kansas State Department of Education recognition of excellent teaching by a first year teacher. Like our Making a Difference program, anyone can nominate a qualifying teacher for this recognition. If you would like to nominate a first-year teacher go to www.usd232.org/horizonaward.
DHS Spring Sports ‘Opening Day’ is being held on Tuesday, March 28th. Multiple home events will occur, including Tennis, Soccer, Baseball, and Softball games. The Wildcat Booster Club is also arranging for food trucks and other activities to take place that evening. Come on out, support our Wildcats, and enjoy the evening.
State assessments will take place the last week of March and in April. We ask for and appreciate the scheduling of appointments outside of these dates. Thank you.
Spring 2023 State Assessment Dates:
· 11th Grade Science - March 27-31
· 10th Grade English - April 3-7
· 10th Grade Math – April 13-18
The Final Exam schedule for second semester can be found on our website. It will be important for students to attend during this time. 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 22nd Collaborative Team Time Late Start
Congratulations Colby Lovegren 5A State Bowling Champion!
Drew Proctor is the DHS Kansas Teacher of the Year Nominee!
DHS Jazz Band Takes 2nd at KBA Jazz Championships
On Tuesday, March 7th, the De Soto High School Jazz Band competed at the Kansas Bandmasters Association (KBA) Jazz Championships in Wichita, KS. De Soto took home several awards, including:
- 4 Outstanding Soloist Awards: Keegan Flynn, tenor sax; Aidan Hamer, trombone; Nic Weaver, trumpet; Nick Budimlija, drumset
- 2 “Best in Class” Soloist Awards: Aidan Hamer, trombone; Nic Weaver, trumpet
- Outstanding 5A Trumpet Section
- 2nd Place in Class 5A
- 3rd Place Overall
Congratulations, Wildcats!
Dance Marathon Raises $17,250!
"Lilo and Stitch"
Congratulation Julie Steeb!
"Burned Out"
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
Kansas City Area College Fair
When: April 6th, 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Where: Blue Valley Hilltop Learning Center, 7700W. 143rd St, Overland Park, KS 66223
For more information visit: https://gpacac.net/college-fairs
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/.
Summer FBI Leadership Academy Day
The Kansas City FBI will be hosting a leadership academy on June 30th. This year’s sessions will include crisis response, SWAT, evidence response team, and recruiting,
Interested students who are currently sophomores or juniors are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is Friday, March 31st. The full application packet can be found here: https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/kansas-city-2023-youth-leadership-academy-application.pdf/view
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.