Thunderings from DHHS

All of us at Desert Hills welcome back our students and look forward with excitement to an excellent third quarter! Student learning and achievement are of utmost importance to us at DHHS. We encourage parents to keep up to date on their student’s progress by checking Power School and teacher Web sites, linked to our new school Web site. Second quarter grades will be ready at the end of this week. Other activities and programs continue to enrich the learning environment during this quarter. Winter sports continue, with girls’ and boys’ basketball, swimming and wrestling – check our DHHS online calendar for game times and locations. Coming up Jan. 15-16 are State Honor Choir and All State Band and Orchestra, on Jan. 21-23. On Wednesday, Jan. 13, eighth graders from DHMS will visit DHHS for freshman orientation and registration. Coming up Feb. 2-4 is UBSCT testing of tenth graders: Please make sure your student is rested, prepared and in attendance during that time. Three parent positions are open for election to the Community Council, which deals with school improvement and SITLA, with meetings beginning in April. Contact the school office for more information. Let’s have a great third quarter!

Thunderings from DHHS

Come to our Christmas choir concert tonight and feel the spirit of the holiday in music, 7 p.m. in our auditorium. The now-traditional, wildly popular “Wish Box” assembly is tomorrow, during which students’ secret wishes will be revealed and “fulfilled,” and then the first semester comes to a close on Friday. School resumes on Tuesday, Jan. 5. Grades will be ready at the end of the first week of January. Boys’ and girls’ basketball, swimming, and wrestling have games and matches coming up. Check our Web site for game times and locations and support your school. Congratulations to our 2009-10 Sterling Scholar school winners: Brayden Morris, General Scholarship; Erin Kolu, English; Skyler Almquist, Math; Preston Wagner, Science; Megan Buckway, Social Science; Jessalyn Wood, Foreign Language; Tawni Durrant, Music; Brady Johnson, Business and Marketing; Kyle Carter, Computer Technology; Brendon Fisher, Trade and Technical; Alexis Williams, Speech/Drama; Claudia Oliva, Dance; Dayci Patterson, Visual Arts; Morgan Abel, Family and Consumer Science; and Jenessa Kaumans, Agricultural Science. Region winners will be selected in April. Registration for the 2010-11 school year begins in January. Contact the counseling office for more information. The faculty and staff wish you all a bright and merry Christmas and New Year.

(Photo by Alyssa Owens)

Thunderings from DHHS

Holiday spirit is combining with anticipation for the close of the first semester on Dec. 18, followed by Christmas break. The commons area sparkles with Christmas trees decorated by each of the class councils, and our performing arts groups have been busy delivering holiday cheer to the community. Plan on attending our “Night of the Arts” on Dec. 15, 7 p.m. in the DHHS auditorium. Our excellent dance team, La Ragelles, will be featured, and on Dec. 16, the choir will put some jingle in your step with a Christmas concert. Students are looking forward to next week’s “Wish Box” assembly, when students’ secret wishes will be revealed and “fulfilled.” Meanwhile, our winter sports teams are hard at work. Don’t miss the boys’ basketball battle against Salem Hills at DHHS on Friday. Check our web site for game times and locations for girls’ basketball, wrestling, and swimming. With all the excitement in the air, please remind students to keep up their academic efforts until the end of the quarter. Registration for the 2010-11 school year will begin in January. Contact the counseling office for more information.

Thunderings from DHHS

Thank you to the community, who supported our school programs by attending our production of “Bye Bye Birdie,” and a sincere thank you to all those, from students to parents and staff, who helped make the performances a success. Our music students will continue to show their talents during December. Tonight, the jazz band performs at 7:30 in the auditorium and will play at the Dickens Festival at 1:20 p.m. on Friday The DHHS orchestra will concertize at 8 p.m. on Thursday in the auditorium, and the choir will travel to Salt Lake City for a Christmas Tour. A new club, HOSA, is starting at DHHS, for students interested in medical careers. Participation in the club will provide information and activities relate to the field, as well as scholarship opportunities. There are just three weeks left in the second semester, but academic efforts and final projects are underway in earnest, so please encourage students to attend classes and do their best until the last day, Friday, Dec. 18, when their wishes will be granted at a “Wish Box” assembly. Registration for the 2010-11 school year will begin in January. Contact the counseling office for more information.

Thunderings from DHHS

It’s here! “Bye Bye Birdie” is playing on the DHHS stage! Come see the musical show tomorrow, Nov. 19-21 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for general admission and $5 for students with ID and seniors. Yesterday, seniors spent all day learning about post-high school opportunities at the annual DSC Career Day. For information on scholarship opportunities, please contact the counseling office, and check the link on our home Web page, dhthunder.org. Today is the second-quarter mid-term, and reports will be sent home with students. This week, we celebrated our foreign-exchange students with theme hall decorations, short introductions by the students and their videos of their home countries. If you have students who like to write, check with English teachers on several resume-boosting and/or prize-winning writing competitions available to students. The Key Club is collecting food donations for Care and Share – please help out by sending your donations to school with your student. (No glass jars or Top Ramen, please.) Help the junior class with its prom fundraising by purchasing See's Candies or gift certificates for the holidays. Contact advisor Diane Wallace. We will be having a winter sports assembly next Wednesday, preceding the four-day Thanksgiving break.

Thunderings from DHHS

DHHS is buzzing with activity – academics, sports, music, drama, dance and more! Today, seniors attended a Post-High School orientation during which representatives from 15 colleges presented information about their schools, beginning with financial aid. Look for college scholarship information on our Web site, dhthunder.org. On Nov. 17, seniors will spend all day learning about post-high school opportunities at the annual DSC Career Day. Our band paid tribute to local veterans by marching in today's Veterans Day parade. DHHS students and staff offer a solemn and heartfelt "thank you" to all veterans. On Friday at 6 p.m., La Ragelles of DHHS are hosting a Dance-a-Thon as a service project to raise food and money for Dixie Care and Share. Admission is $3 and at least one can of food. Classrooms are also collecting food donations for Care and Share, organized by Key Club. Help the junior class with its prom by purchasing See's Candies or gift certificates for the holidays. Contact advisor Diane Wallace. Excitement is building for this year's school musical, "Bye Bye Birdie," coming to the DHHS stage Nov. 19-21 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. Finally, thank you to parents who attended parent-teacher conferences last week. Mid-term is Nov.18.

Thunderings from DHHS

Parent-teacher conferences are this week, with final conference times 4 to 7 p.m. tonight. We thank parents for their support of and involvement in their students' education. We also thank the players, parents and coaches of our fall sports teams for their tremendous efforts and for an excellent sports season. Congratulations to all! Swimming is underway, with impressive wins from both the boys' and girls' swim teams. We wish them and all winter athletes a good season. Basketball tryouts are approaching, with an exciting season ahead. For more information on tryouts, contact Coach Melessa. Juniors who wish to participate in NCAA should be registered. See the NCAA link on our school Web site. Contact counselor Jerry Beck for more information. Our Web site also has a link to important scholarship information. Applications for General Sterling Scholar are due to advisor Karen Lowe by Nov. 10. The junior class is beginning fundraising efforts to see them through all their dances and activities at DHHS. Please help by purchasing See's candy or gift certificates from our juniors, or by contacting advisor Diane Wallace. Coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 10 is the Southern Utah String Festival, 10 a.m. at Tuacahn High School.