Desert View News

Help win cash and supplies for schools. Sunnyside and Desert View high schools are registered in the Avery Give Back to Schools program. You can vote every day until September 14, 2012.

Congratulations to the middle school and high school teams that competed in the MESA Day state competition April 21. See attached listing of the rankings for the competition.

Desert View senior Santos Flores is the 2012 Pima County Youth Art Award recipient in the category of Literary Arts. The award, sponsored by the Pima Community College Foundation and the Tucson Pima Arts Council, recognizes excellence in Dance, Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Media Arts and Literary Arts.  More »

Students from Sunnyside and Desert View’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Career & Technical Student Organizations placed at the State Conference and will compete at Nationals.

From Sunnyside:
Alex Lewis placed first in Word Processing II;
Zack Taylor placed second in Word Processing II and second in Computer Applications.

From Desert View:  More »

Desert View senior Sadiya Buta has been named a 2012 Dell Scholar. An initiative of the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, the Dell Scholars program recognizes students who have overcome significant obstacles to pursue their education.  More »

Desert View junior Giovanni Garcia won second place in the Tucson Poetry Festival’s High School Contest and Desert View junior Emilio Hernandez won third place. Their teacher is Teresa Driver.  More »

Desert View student, Delanie Lintow, was highlighted in the Arizona Daily Star's Education notes: Desert View student wins writing contest of April 2, 2012.

The Desert View High School Jazz Ensemble traveled to Canyon del Oro High School March 7 to participate in Jazz Festival. The group received an overall rating of "Excellent." Alvaro Rodriguez (trombone), Jorge Garcia (trumpet), Sergio Tabanico (tenor sax) and Edgar Acosta (alto sax) were recognized by the judges as "outstanding soloists."

Desert View AVID students participated in MathMovesU Day at the University of Arizona on February 20. The experience was sponsored by Raytheon and the University of Arizona’s Office of Early Academic Outreach.

Desert View graduate Alejandra Beltran will be performing in Pima Community College’s musical production of "Curtains," a murder-mystery musical comedy whodunit that ran on Broadway 2007-2008. A high school matinee takes place Friday, March 2, 10 a.m. at the Proscenium Theatre, Center for the Arts, Pima Community College West Campus. Tickets are $6. To reserve tickets, call 206-6986.

Desert View High School students Jesus Gutierrez and Jaclyn Martinez were panelists at the National Coordinated School Health Conference in Scottsdale January 27. They represented Desert View’s SWAT (Student Wellness Advocacy Team) and were recognized at a luncheon as a "Success Story for Coordinated School Health." SWAT was also recognized in the national newsletter, Fuel Up to Play.

The Desert View Boys Soccer team has been given a very special fund-raising opportunity. They have been allotted 100 super-prime tickets, rows 10-20, on the midfield line for the doubleheader semi-final and final of the Desert Cup.  More »

Kino Rotary Club presented Character Awards Dec. 2 to high schools who exemplify the Rotary International Four-Way Test. Awards were presented to Adriana Parra of Desert View, Casandra Valadez of Sunnyside High and Alma Rabago of S.T.A.R. Academic Center.

Raúl Hodgers, assistant principal of Desert View High School, will be inducted Oct. 29, 2011 into the Nogales High School Hall of Fame.

The Center for Disease Control was asked to send a success story to the White House of a school that exemplifies the Coordinated School Health Model for student health and improved academic achievement. The school chosen on a national level was Desert View High School for its PE Partners SWAT (Student Wellness Advocacy Team).  More »

Students in Taylor Johnson's classes at Desert View High School were the first high school students to participate in the UApresents Student Critic Program, launched in 2010-11. Maria Elena Wakamatsu coordinated the program in partnership with Sarah K. Smith of UApresents.  More »

Sixteen summer school students are on track to graduate. Ceremonies will be held Thursday, June 30, 6:30 p.m. in the Sierra Middle School auditorium. A record number of 855 students have already graduated in the Class of 2011 from Desert View, Sunnyside and STAR.

Desert View students competed with 13 other high schools in the state during Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) Day at the University of Arizona. Teams placed second, fourth, fifth and sixth in College PSA, On-Site Design, Rainwater Harvesting Model and Paper-Truss Bridge.

The Kino Rotary established the Character Awards this year for students from Desert View, Sunnyside High, STAR, Pueblo High and PPEP TEC High School. Recipients of the awards in the second semester include Tanya Lugo-Torres of Desert View; Alejandra Mendoza of S.T.A.R. Academic, and Velveth Makepeace of Sunnyside High.

Thirteen Future Business Leaders of America students from the Advanced Business Operations class at Desert View High School attended the 2011 FBLA State Leadership Conference April 18-20. The following students placed out of almost 2,000 students at this conference.
Maria Mata, second place in Spreadsheet Applications, qualifies to compete at Nationals in Orlando June 26-July 2.  More »

Desert View juniors Aria Altuna, Timothy Crain, Oksana Perez, Savannah Sanchez, and Jalina Vidotto were recently published in the textbook, "Higher Education, Emerging Technologies, and Community Partnerships: Concepts, Models and Practices." The chapter describes the group’s efforts to study a  More »

The following Desert View High School football players have been awarded scholarships to play college ball: Daniel Goodman, Brigham Young University; Brandon Perkins and NJ Ross, Pima Community College; Felix Ramos, Hamlin University; Jesse Santana, Coe College Iowa. Additionally, Daniel Goodman was selected to the Southern Arizona Football Hall of Fame. Desert View’s head coach is Jim Monaco.

UApresents In the Schools sponsored a performance March 28, 2011 by the Trey McIntyre Dance Project for 700 Desert View students. Members of the dance group met after the performance with Desert View students in the UApresents Student Critics program; their teacher is Maria Elena Wakamatsu. Thank you to Sarah K. Smith of UApresents for bringing these opportunities to the Sunnyside District.

Desert View P.E. Partners Officers Luis Barbosa, Maritza Carrasco and Lupita Vasquez presented at the League of United Latin Citizens Conference, March 14, 2011. Their presentation, “Students Taking Charge,” was designed to help middle school students start student advocacy groups at their own schools.  More »

After an impressive performance at the Regional Conference, Desert View Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) students are now preparing for state competition. Regional Conference awards include:

• Autumn Peña—1st Place in Computer Applications
• Alan Ramirez—1st Place in Interview Performance

Desert View Future Farmers of America (FFA) students took top honors at the South Central FFA District Contest. Sophomores Anita Romero, Robert Palacios, Ilse Ruiz and Jackie Nieto took first in the Dairy Judging team contest. Ruiz also took first place in individual competition. Romero and Palacios took second and third, respectively. Desert View’s Agricultural Science teacher is J.  More »

A January 18 Arizona Daily Star article highlighted the new center funded by a grant from State Farm Insurance agency owner Dan Kalm, "New center at Desert View offers money tips."

The center will open in February.

Desert View students Burgundy Houk (senior) and Cherria Martin (freshman) have won first and second place respectively in the Tucson Association of Realtors Green Committee’s Sustainability Composition Contest.

Desert View math teacher and department chair Alison Cornell has been named one of nine finalists for the UA/Circle K Outstanding High School Faculty Awards. She will be honored during pre-game ceremonies at the January 29, 2011 University of Arizona men’s basketball game.

The Tucson Association of Realtors Green Committee has selected the winners of its Sustainability Composition Contest. First place and a $500 prize goes to Desert View senior Burgundy Houk. The winner of second place and a $250 prize is Desert View freshman Cherria Martin.

Desert View math teacher and department chair Alison Cornell has been named one of nine finalists for the UA/Circle K Outstanding High School Faculty Awards. She will be honored in pre-game ceremonies at the January 29, 2011 University of Arizona men’s basketball game. Congratulations also to Philip Ficara, Sunnyside High’s nominee for the awards program.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the University of Arizona Poetry Center held a special event, "An Afternoon with Billy Collins and Friends," during which published poets and authors read their favorite poems. One of those poems, read by Ernesto Portillo, Jr., was a corrido written by Desert View alum Gamaliel Rabago.  More »

Desert View math teacher Yvonne Shouse created an after-school program called "Ride in the Park," and received grant funding from Saguaro National park. Through this program, 10 students from each partner school will be provided with transportation from school to the park, where they will be given helmets and a loaner bicycle to explore the park.

The Desert View High School Girls Volleyball team is hosting a Dig For The Cure event to raise money for local breast cancer research foundations and to promote breast cancer awareness in the community. Team members will be collecting donations over the next two weeks, culminating with an event Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Desert View gym.  More »

Desert View High School Student Body President Lucas Rodriguez delivered his address at graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2010 as a rap.

Listen to Lucas' rap.

Desert View High School graduating senior and student body president Lucas Rodriguez was featured in the Arizona Daily Star today. See article.  More »

Desert View senior Danielle Khambholja has been named a Gates Millennium Scholar. Danielle will attend the University of Arizona. This scholarship pays expenses for studies from bachelor through doctoral degrees.

Desert View’s Mariachi del Desierto participated in breaking the Guinness World Record for most Mariachis playing together at the 2010 International Mariachi Conference April 22. The total was 577.

Desert View dance group NxT LeVeL has been invited to participate in the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade in New York City this year. To raise money for this once-in-a-lifetime experience, Nxt LeVeL dancers are interested in dancing for any celebration, party or other event. If you have an upcoming celebration now or this summer and would like them to dance, please contact Glenna Hood, 548-5142.

Desert View sophomore Amber Hough won second place in the Tucson Poetry Festival’s Statewide High School Poetry Contest, which had 307 entries from 36 high schools.  More »

On Thursday, March 11 at 9 a.m., Desert View High School, in partnership with Tucson law enforcement/emergency services, will hold a DUI mock-crash awareness assembly at Jaguar Stadium, 4101 E. Valencia Road. Closing comments will be given by the mother of Ursula Martin, Desert View alum who was killed by a drunk driver.

The National Writing Project features GEAR UP and the Write Place writing project partnership of Desert View and the University of Arizona. The partnership involves DVHS students and English Department Chair Maria Elena Wakamatsu, Tucson Teacher-Consultants Help Students ‘Gear Up’ for College.

Only 25 NASA Plant Growth Chambers are in existence worldwide, and one of them is at Desert View High School. Science teachers at Desert View have created a unique learning opportunity for their students, securing these chambers which are models of the growth chambers that will be sent on a mission to Mars.  More »