Drug Abuse Prevention Organization Hosting Presentations For Parents And Students

The following presentations by the notMYkid organization, designed to provide parents and students with information on drug abuse issues and prevention strategies for teens, have been scheduled in February at Desert Hills High School:

* Parent Presentation - 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011.

* Student Presentations - Speaking will be young recovering addicts (ages 18-25) who have been sober for at least one year. These speakers go through a 20 hour training with notMYkid to ensure that they are able to share their message with other students without glorifying past drug and alcohol abuse. They also will be accompanied by a representative from notMYkid. The speakers will discuss how their addictions began and consequences faced as a result of their decisions. Resources will be provided to students requesting them following each 1 hour presentation. The class presentation schedule is as follows:

* Wednesday, Feb. 23 - 1st period (Mrs. Lyro); 2nd period (Ms. Fieman); 3rd period (Mr. Haasch).
* Thursday, Feb. 24 - 1st period (Mr. Balagna); 2nd period (Ms. Quinn); 3rd period (Ms. Darley).

For more information, contact the Desert Hills office at 480-813-1151.

Cougars Storm The Fiesta Bowl On New Years Day

One hundred Desert Hills athletes, teachers and family members were in attendance when the University of Connecticut Huskies took on the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day in Glendale. The Sooners proved victorius in the contest, but the real winners were the fans in attendance at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Desert Hills Graduate, Wounded In Afghanistan, Returns To U.S. To Make A Difference

Much has changed for Travis Largent, a Northern Arizona University student and military veteran, since he graduated from Desert Hills High School in 2005.

After graduating, Largent followed his passion to serve his country with the U.S. Army, and was deployed halfway around the world in Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, he found the adventure he was looking for, and also found himself in consistent danger. He ended his tour in a harrowing firefight that left him with three bullet wounds and a collapsed lung, bleeding and waiting for more than 30 hours for the medical transport that would ultimately take him to safety.

"We were in a five vehicle convoy, and we were ambushed,"Largent says of the attack, which occurred in January 2008 in Ibrahim, some 50 kilometers south of Kandahar, near the border with Pakistan. "We were under fire and being attacked on two sides. And because of the narrow terrain, we couldn't back up."

Largent was leaning out of an Army Humvee and firing, when he felt "heat" in his chest. "I had been shot three times in the side."

Eventually, the convoy moved to relative safety, but Largent's troubles were far from over.

"A medic was treating me, and we were waiting for a medivac to come in," he says. "The medic said he had 36 hours worth of blood for me - after that, there was nothing left. I ended up waiting 34 hours for the medivac to arrive."

Largent spent two months recuperating in Germany, and was sent at his request back to his unit. He ultimately was awarded the Bronze Star for valor.

Now, back in the U.S., married and studying at NAU, Largent, 22, says his experience in Afghanistan motivated him to become a classroom teacher.

After completing his coursework, he hopes to return to Desert Hills to undertake his student teaching.

"What I saw in Afghanistan were a lot of young men who were uneducated. And because they were uneducated, they were able to be manipulated," he says.

"I saw the importance of education," Largent says. "And I wanted to make a difference."

Cougar Announcements, December 2010

Desert Hills High School Announcements - Dec. 1, 2010:

* Tickets for the Winter Formal are going fast! The dance is scheduled from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010, at Skateland in Chandler. Tickets are $15 per person, and are available from a Student Council member. Skateland is located at 1101 W. Ray Road in Chandler. Come out and join the fun!

* Congratulations to National Honor Society, which recently raised $150 to benefit UNICEF.

* Desert Hills' Chess Club is up and running! The group, which will begin statewide competition in January, meets every Tuesday and Thursday with Mr. Boyle in Room 1. If you are interested in learning the game, playing against other students or competing, attend a club meeting or stop by the front office for details.

* Student Council will be hosting a Blood Drive on Tuesday, Dec. 7. If you are under 18 and would like to donate, pick up a permission slip in the front office.

* Congratulations to Jennifer Montanez Medina, who has been selected as the City of Gilbert's Student of the Month!

For more news and information about Desert Hills High School, check out The Cougar Press, our online newspaper, at http://www.cougarpress.com/.

Cougar Announcements For The Week Of Nov. 15, 2010

* Basketball season is coming! Varsity and JV Boys' and Girls' Basketball begin their seasons on November 29. Come out and cheer on the Cougars!

* The Desert Hills Student Council is leading a Food Drive through the month of November. The second period class which collects the most food wins the drive. Help support this important effort!

* Student Council will be hosting a Blood Drive on Tuesday, Dec. 7. If you are under 18 and would like to donate blood, you must return a signed permission slip to the front office.

* Be sure and check out the Cougar Press - Desert Hills' online newspaper. Go to http://www.cougarpress.com/ today to read articles on subjects such as the recent Desert Hills Homecoming bash, the school's effort to fund a soccer program for children in Afghanistan, and reviews of the hit TV show "Glee" and the new film "Easy A."

* If you are interested in working on the Yearbook project, come to a meeting at 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 19. See Mr. Haasch in Room 4 or Mr. Boyle in Room 1 for more information.

* Desert Hills is starting a Chess Club and a competition Chess Team! If you are interested in learning the game, playing against other students or even competing against teams from across the state, join the club when it meets after school this Tuesday in Room 1.

Basketball Season Begins; University Trips Planned

Cougar Announcements For The Week Of Nov. 8, 2010:

* Basketball season is heating up! Varsity and JV Boys and Girls Basketball begin their seasons on November 29th.

* Student Council is leading a Food Drive through the month of November. Please support this important school-wide effort.

* The following university and college trips have been scheduled. Please contact Mrs. Eaton in the Academic and Career Center if you would like to attend:

Jan. 28 - University of Arizona
Feb. 18 - Mesa Community College
Feb. 25 - Arizona State University
April 15 - Northern Arizona University

For more news and information about Desert Hills High School, check out The Cougar Press at http://www.cougarpress.com/ .

Cougar Sports Charging Ahead

Desert Hills' sports program is running at full speed, with games and practices slated for the weeks ahead.

Football tryouts are ongoing, with the Cougars' first game scheduled for Friday, Aug. 27. A Cougar Pep Rally will be held the day before on campus.

Cheerleading tryouts are slated for Tuesday and Thursday, Aug. 17 and 19, at the Gilbert Boys and Girls Club.

Volleyball tryouts and practices are ongoing until August 19 at Freestone Recreation Center. Games begin on August 27.