• Mayra Diaz (May 2021)

Despite the challenges faced this school year due to the pandemic, DHS students and teachers proved that nothing is impossible. This past weekend, three students from the UIL Academic squad became state champions for the first time.

“I am proud to say our Spelling and Vocabulary Team, consisting of Alyssa Denise Trasporto, Madeline Ray and Declan Ayre took first place and became state champions for all 5A schools,” UIL coach Seth Ross said.

The University Interscholastic League has Academic competitions in multiple events to provide the opportunity for students to learn more than what is in the classroom curriculum and compete against other schools in competitive academics.

“In the spring semester, there are invitational meets, a District meet, a Regional Meet (you qualify by winning first place team or top 3 individuals at District) and a State Meet (you qualify by placing as 1st place team or top 3 individuals at Regional)” UIL Academic coordinator, Fred Mueller said.

DHS fielded teams at the District meet in Current Issues and Events, Spelling and Vocabulary, Science, Mathematics, Number Sense, Calculator, Literary Criticism, and Social Studies. Due to the pandemic, there was limited participation but DHS usually field in other several events.

At District, the UIL Academic squad teams placed first in Spelling and Vocabulary, Literary Criticism and placed individually in Science, Current Issues and Events. These students advanced to Regionals.

“We were extremely pleased and excited with the excellent performance by these scholars,” Ross said.

Due to the pandemic, the UIL Academic squad was forced to prepare for competition virtually,

“It was extremely difficult to prepare for competition. We improvised, adapted, and overcame and were able to get ready to compete,” Mueller said.

Despite this, their hard work and efforts were proved as they excelled in the Regional meet, advancing them to the State UIL Academic Meet.

“Regionals is an even greater challenge than District. Our Region contains some of the best academic teams in the state, so it is always a challenge to advance to the state championships” Mueller said.

At State Championships, DHS secured its first state championship win at the UIL Academic meet thanks to the Spelling and Vocabulary team. Junior Alyssa Trasporto also placed third individually against former National Spelling Bee finalists.

“We have gone to state for the last five years in Spelling and Vocabulary either as a team or individuals, but have never won the state championship. This was the culmination of years of work, and a team that has one of the strongest work ethics out there. It was extremely satisfying to win.” Ross said.

The DHS Academic UIL Squad will participate in the next school year’s UIL meets, “We are already thinking about the challenging competitors we will face.” Ross said.

• Miles Meador (Feb. 2021)

The Foreign exchange program extends all across the country, as kids from many ages come to the United States as a part of a program to learn and live in the United States. The COVID-19 Pandemic put a halt to most usual activities, but the exchange program was a little bit different. Denton High happens to have an exchange student this year, and her name is Isabella Vruzhi. Here is a backstory about Isa, and the events on coming here.

Isabella Vruzhi is an American Junior who traveled from Italy, and she is very fluent in 5 languages. She is from a small lake village in the northern part of the country, and is really excited to be a student and learn in the United States.

The Exchange student program’s head, Christine Sanders, is also the host parent to Isa for her stay here. She has hosted 15 exchange students including Isa, and having the chance to host during a pandemic made it a little fun.

“Hosting Isa has solved our pandemic boredom, and has given us a reason to have fun inside and outside of our home,” Sanders said. “It has been great to get to know her and in just a few short weeks it already feels like she has always been here.”

It was a very strange and long process for Isabella to finally get to Denton, as COVID and air travel put delays on the original dates.

“My first day in the US was kinda weird,” Isabella said. “I landed in Washington and I was ready to fly to Dallas and meet my host family when I arrived at the gate and was told that the plane had already departed and that there were no more flights to Dallas. I had to spend that night at an airport hotel. The next day I finally got to the destination, and one of the first things they made me try was Mexican food.”

The initial process of Isabella coming here was simple, and it was what every foreign student would do, but COVID put a damper on that plan and pushed her date to January instead of the entire school year.

“Let’s say that it was a surprise in part,” Isabella said. “Initially I had enrolled to do the whole year, then the departures in August were cancelled, and around September we were informed that the departure had been moved to January. It is hard not being able to see my family, but my host parents have been really nice with me.”

A very interesting fact about Isabella, is her ability to speak 5 languages. She has spent many years learning and mastering the other 3 languages that she did not grow up knowing.

“I grew up speaking 2 languages at home,” she said. “My family is Albanian, and this made it easier for me to learn the other 3. I’ve been studying French for 7 years, English for a very long time, and German for 4 years.”

The exchange program is very important for the United States government, as it helps relationships with other countries and their ambassadors. Although COVID ran rampant through the world, that didn’t stop the program from doing their thing.

“When the pandemic started our borders were closed to most countries, and all visas were haltered, except for the student visa for exchange students and college students,” Sanders said. “President Trump actually signed an executive order giving travel waivers to all the approved exchange students to still get into the country even if borders were closed.”

• Mayra Diaz (Dec. 2020)

Music and dancing can brighten anyone’s day, no matter what genre of music or style of dance you prefer. In a drastic change of events, the world is still coping with what hit us this year and during these hard times is when music and dance are most helpful.

“Ultimately our goal is to bring students together, get active, get involved and work with one another toward a common goal," said Color Guard Coach, Devin Guillotte.

"This is something that we are very proud to say that we were still able to do, even with many restrictions and limitations in place. When you are a team that is meant to perform things in sync with each other, that can be very difficult when you have a limited amount of time together in person.” said Coach Guillotte.

School started off as connecting learning then to a hybrid schedule which became a hassle. With students at home and others in person but split into days, it was hard to rehearse and be accurate with what needed to be done or have everyone on time.

“We practiced outside with shields for a while but it’s hard to keep track of everyone” said Director of Bands, Brian Wilson.

Though face masks are the new norm now, it’s still hard to keep up with them and with music and dance, where having to move a lot and using your mouth, it’s not ideal. For the time being, students, coaches, and directors are doing their best to stay safe and still maintain the regular daily routine.

“We've had more challenges than ever this year and yet that still hasn't stopped us from having a great time.” said Director Wilson.

Band & Color Guard is still moving forward this upcoming second semester but events are still undecided due to how the circumstances will be in the future. For now, continuing to fight through and having the best possible experience while keeping students motivated is the goal.

“This semester really has taken the phrase "hope for the best and prepare for the worst" to a whole new level.” said Coach Guillotte.

• Mayra Diaz (Dec. 2020)

Covid-19 dramatically changed all lives around the world, and for many people it was the first time in a long time they were stuck at home. In the past year, Denton county has seen a upsurge in depression, suicide, anxiety and other mental illnesses.

“People from all walks of life have been affected and more people than ever are seeking mental health support, such as counseling and therapeutic support services. This is in part due heightened feelings of anxiety, isolation, bereavement, sadness, and sometimes fear or uncertainty for many around the world.” said Student Assistance Counselor, Linsey Schafer.

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll, nearly 50% of Americans report that COVID-19 has been detrimental to their mental health and well-being.

During April 2020, there was over a 1,000% increase in the use of emergency emotional distress hotlines. Additionally, the number of Americans utilizing telehealth counseling services has risen 65% as of May 2020.

“Schools provide many mental health services for students. When schools closed and lockdowns began, the majority of students lost that easy access to talk to someone right away.” said Lead Counselor, Kathleen Ashton.

Much has changed in schools since before Covid, with social distancing for face-to-face learners and staying at home for connected learners. Schools are the major provider of socialisation for young people, and now more than ever that is needed.

“Now that we’ve witnessed that covid has impacted our lives, I can clearly see, from my point of view, that I was much happier before covid.” said Senior, Erick Lucero.

“I actually like going to school, I was away from home at least eight through ten hours, it was the only thing keeping me sane,” said Lucero.

Denton High School has a Counseling and Social Work Department to support our Bronco community. All counselors can assist with social and emotional needs, as well as help our families connect to resources outside our campus.

“Maintain and open and honest dialogue about your feelings and frustrations. Check-in on your mental health, seeking help and support when needed…. Our community will lean on each other during this continued time of change and uncertainty, listening, encouraging, and supporting each other. We are and always will be #BroncoProud!” said Mrs. Schafer.

There is also an online DISD Resource Center where you can find access to counseling and emergency resources in the Denton Area. For more details on how to see a counselor or additional resources or supports, check out the DHS Counseling Webpage:

https://sites.google.com/g.dentonisd.org/dhs-counseling-services/home. If you or someone you know are in crisis, you can contact the North Texas crisis line at 214-828-1000 or text "CONNECT" to 741741. For suicide prevention specifically, contact National Suicide Prevention lifeline at 800-273-8255.