Dear Desert Vista Family, Our Second
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
“Excellence Through Performance” Dear Desert Vista Family, Our second semester is well on its way with the third quarter progress reports completed and soon to be delivered to your homes. We ask that you take some time to review with your son or daughter while reflecting on the goals that you set prior to this semester and determine the next steps in reaching those goals. Please do not hesitate to call upon the teacher, counselor or to sign your child up for peer-to-peer tutoring in order to assist with academic growth. Like many of you, my thoughts and feelings have weighed heavy these past two weeks regarding our DV family and community. Each one of us encounters situations with our own set of emotions from our life experiences and for that, I want to recognize and acknowledge all of the different dynamics and emotions that you may be feeling. I have received numerous communications from our DV families these last two weeks expressing a myriad of emotions. One thing is for certain; we all love Desert Vista High School, we know who we are and “Excellence Through Performance” is what defines us. When we face difficulties, setbacks or conflicts, we have always united to become better than before. Continuous improvement in all areas is what we seek to do on a regular basis and this is no different for us today. I will continue to work through a logistical plan for us to come together in a variety of forums in the near future which will include only our families. In honoring the many feelings and emotions that you have, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or one of my assistant principals. We will do our best to get back to you in a timely manner. We are currently celebrating Black History Month, as we do each year, with announcements highlighting “did you know…..” along with a variety of other activities that our Black Student Union and Student Council are planning for the remainder of the month. As we continue to reflect and gather information from all stakeholders, we will develop a long term and sustainable plan for Desert Vista High School to become globally diverse in uniting our students as well as preparing them for college and career. I want to personally thank you for your continued support and understanding as we methodically and intentionally make sound decisions and plans for the future. Flinn Scholarships Nina Patel has been chosen as one of the 40 Finalists for the 2016 Flinn Scholarship competition. The selection process for the Flinn Scholarship will conclude with an interview with the Selection Committee. Reaching the final round of this process is difficult: Some 185 high schools from across Arizona delivered candidates for the Flinn Scholarship this year. Now, representatives of 35 schools remain. These Finalists’ achievements reflect the exceptional advocacy they have received from their teachers and counselors. Good luck, Nina!! United States Presidential Scholars The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the U.S. Department of Education announced the 2016 candidates for the United States Presidential Scholars Program. Four students from Desert Vista High School were named candidates in this prestigious program, which is one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by Executive Order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields. Congratulations to the following Desert Vista 2016 United States President Scholars Program Candidates: Jonathan A. Booher, Desert Vista Rachel L. Gorelik, Desert Vista Sanjeev R. Murty, Desert Vista Erin K. Spielman, Desert Vista Young Musicians Competition The Young Musicians Competition scholarship auditions, sponsored by the Phoenix Youth Symphony, were held in January. Several Desert Vista students competed in the preliminaries where Ryan Grieser - Viola and Bobae Johnson- Violin moved on to the Finals. In the Finals Ryan Grieser - Viola placed 5th out of 15 and Bobae Johnson - Violin placed 1st as the Grand Prize Winner and as a result, she will be soloing with the - Phoenix Symphony on March 20th. Please join me in congratulating these amazing musicians! Rugby DV Rugby got back to winning ways last Friday night in Tucson, with a 39 vs 22 victory against the Tucson Barbarians. Seven tries were scored by the Thunder and several players had outstanding performances. Alec VanLue took man of the match honors with his all around display including a pair of tries. The U16 team played hard on Saturday, bur lost 54 vs 26 to Arrowhead who is the top team in the league. The next High School and U16 matches are on Saturday, February 7th at Westside Sports Complex starting at 12pm. DV will be playing Red Mountain who have been state champions for the last three years. Desert Vista Men's Soccer Congratulations to the DV Men's Varsity Soccer Team for making the Division One State Playoffs and for progressing to the quarterfinal round this week. It has been an exciting season so far. On January 27th, DV honored their 11 seniors and their families during a special celebration. DV then went on to beat rival Mountain Pointe 2-0. The seniors shined brightly that night with Michael Daniel scoring the first goal. Senior Ryan Johnson scored the second goal of the night off a throw in from Jordan Hall. Senior Carson Leisy, Goalkeeper, was credited with the shut out with help from the dominant defense of seniors Trevor Willems, Ryan McDowell and Sophomore Brendan Hicks. In the first round of the State Soccer Championships, February 3rd, Desert Vista upset #1 seeded Brophy on their home field in PKs! It was night to always remember as the Thunder stunned the highly touted Broncos. The mighty Thunder won 4-2 in PKs after being tied 1-1 in double overtime. Kunal Thakker scored the first goal, assisted by Carter Block. The Thunder defense of Brendan Hicks, Ryan McDowell, Chris O'Brien, Michael Daniel and Goalkeeper Carson Leisy totally shut down the potent Brophy offense. In PKs, Carson Leisy had two amazing saves, coupled with the PKs scored by Brendan Hicks, Ty Iannone, Michael Daniel and Duncan Ugland. It was the upset of the year and an amazing victory for DV Men's Soccer!!! Come out and cheer on the Thunder Saturday, February 6 at 2pm at Campo Verde High School as they take on Campo Verde in the next round of the State Championship! Good luck Coach Mark Wilson and Coach Sean Coker and the entire Varsity Soccer team! The JV Soccer team wrapped up a successful season by securing three awesome victories in their final week of play! JV beat Gilbert 2-1, Mountain Pointe 8-0 and Tolleson 6-0! Thanks Coach Sean Coker for an amazing season! The Jr. JV team had a successful first year as well. Congratulations Coach Klein and the Jr. JV team! Wrestling Congratulations to all 3 wrestling teams as they captured 3 big wins over Millennium in the Storm Center. The Freshman kicked off the night with a big win 68-6, followed by an exciting win by the JV as they held on to win 18-15. The varsity came up big winning 59-18. It was a special night as the program recognized their seniors who have made significant contributions to our program. Their time and talents have kept our program at a high level. The program is very grateful for all their dedications. They are: Bruno Salhuana, Alex Carrillo, Nick Cooper, Teague Watson, Derek Quaranta, Zack Budzik and Adrian Perez. DV Choir - North Central Regional Choir Congratulations to the following students that made the Arizona North Central Regional Choir this year: Ipsha Banerjee - 4th chair soprano Selena Ryan - 5th chair soprano Susannah Cowley - 6th chair soprano Sague Molina - 10th chair bass Alyssa Crezee - 12th chair soprano Olivia Smith - 12th chair alto Cade Hortline - 13th chair tenor Jasmine Rogers - 25th chair alto Mary Katherine Sloan - 2nd Alternate soprano Nice job, everyone!! DV Band - North Central Regional for Winds & Percussion Congratulations to the following students: Flute: Ashley Ong, Stephanie Phlipot, Bethany Henthorne, Leah Henthorne and Joy Cho Clarinet: Megan Kashuba, Richard Zhouren, Sean Keller, Selena Ryan, Amy Lin, Josie Barlay, Olivia Atallah*, Kyle Xue, Maddie Bucci, Joowon Kim, Ben Ahn, Jordan Buck, Naomi Chao and Sarina De Rose Bass Clarinet: Martin Lippincott (1st overall!) Oboe: Caty Kim (1st overall!) Alto Sax: Bradley Prieto and Sara Janis Tenor Sax: Bradley Prieto and Sara Janis Baritone Sax: Gregory Thompson Trumpet: Patrick Keller, Matthew Kashuba, Kelsey Langstroth, Taylor Angilletta, Rachel Rhoades, Jacob Barnes, Garrett Penna and Adam Martin Horns: Kip Gates (1st overall!), Rachel Rhoades, Margaret Tueller, Amanda Warner, Sarah Miceli and Matthew Brines Trombone: Logan Smith and Doug Frace Tuba: Joseph Young Percussion: Cameron Whiteley (1st overall!), Peter Kim, Michael Kang, Johnathan Lee, Matt Worth, Maddie Clock, Nori Matsushita and Brett Corell Alternates: Gabriella Rios, Flute Jannie Nam, Oboe Diana Kemmer, Trumpet Claire O’Brien, Trumpet Eli Hayes, Trombone Kirby Kuzni, Euphonium Chris Hines, Percussion Kelly Johnson, Percussion Great job, everyone!! DV Orchestra Congratulations to Dr. Wedington-Clark and the DV Orchestra! The Arizona State Solo & Ensemble Tier #2 Festival was awesome. The judges had a difficult time selecting the ranking in each category because all were superior performances. The final results for Desert Vista were very impressive.