Somerton High School News

Yuma Union High School District schools combined to send 33 wrestlers to the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) state championship tournament.

The opening matches of the tournament begin Thursday, Feb. 20 for boys and Friday, Feb. 21 for girls. Both events are held at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.

Wrestlers qualify for the state championship by placing among the top four in their respective weight classes at the sectional tournament. This is the second time in the last three years that YUHSD schools have qualified more than 30 individuals.

Somerton High School had a district-high nine boys wrestlers qualify in Division 4, while Kofa High School had eight boys in Division 1. Kofa’s qualifiers include two state runners up from 2024 (Gael Moreno and Daniel Alire). Gila Ridge High School had a district-high four girls qualify, including defending state champion Kennedy Farrar.

Here are the YUHSD state qualifiers (weight class noted next to name):

BOYS
Division 1
Cibola
Fabian Lopez (113)

Gila Ridge
Andy Sevilla (106)
Cannon Farrar (113)
Diesel Labady (126)
Raidyn Tanaka (138)
Zach Lines (150)
Oliver Todd (175)
Adam Kempton (190)

Kofa
Daniel Alire (106)
Roman Jaimes (120)
David Elias (132)
Gael Moreno (138)
Diego Villafana (157)
Logan Whitacre (175)
Nathanyel Arias (215)
Gerardo Anaya (285)

Division 3
Yuma High
Estevan Romero (106)
Ernesto Duarte (113)
Liam Felix (120)
Jayden Anderson (132)
Jose Espinoza (138)

Division 4
Somerton High
Jayden Preston (108)
Dylan Anderson (115)
Kenneth Garcia (122)
Diego Felix (128)
Jesus Valenzuela (152)
Andres Centeno (159)
Jesiah Carpio (177)
Josiah Limones (192)
Peter Rivas (287)

GIRLS
Division 1
Cibola
Alicia Valenzuela (165)

Gila Ridge
Kennedy Farrar (100)
Daynah Gomez (114)
Georgia Barron (120)
Natalia Shoup (235)

Somerton High
Naylani Valdez (122)
Briella Reynoso (128)
Sarahi Pena (167)

Last year, Adrian Calleros (Kofa) won the state championship in the 165-pound boys division, while Kofa’s Gael Moreno (132), Loren Phillips (190), and Daniel Alire (106) were state runners up. Alire won a state title in 2023. Additionally, Gila Ridge’s Kennedy Farrar (100) Camille Torres (120) from Cibola were state champions in the girls division, while Yuma High’s Divina Diaz Rios (100) was the girls division 2 state runner up. For daily updates on all state playoffs and play-in results, please visit the AIA’s official media site: www.AZPreps365.com.

In celebration of heart month, Onvida Health, in partnership with the Yuma
Union High School District, is bringing back its Teen Heart Screening Event to
help identify potentially life-threatening heart conditions in young athletes and
students.


At the event, Onvida Health medical professionals will provide free cardiac
screenings, including EKGs, and potentially echocardiograms, to students.
These screenings are critical in detecting hidden heart conditions that can lead
to sudden cardiac arrest, offering families potentially life-saving knowledge.

“We all know the importance of heart health, but many people don’t realize the
number of heart conditions that can go undetected – especially in young
people,” says Tracy Terrones, DPN, Director of Cardiovascular and
Cardiopulmonary Services at Onvida Health. “Our Teen Heart screenings event
connects students to our healthcare professionals, giving parents and kids the
knowledge they need to stay heart healthy.”


The event highlights Onvida Health’s dedication to building a healthier tomorrow
and its mission to provide accessible, preventive care to Yuma’s youth. Special
thanks to Kofa High School for hosting, as well as Eric Paredes Save a Life
Foundation for their partnership.


“We are thankful to Onvida Health for bringing this event to our community.
Supporting the health and well-being of our students is a top priority,” said
Robert Jankowski, YUHSD Associate Superintendent. “This screening provides
a valuable and free opportunity for them to stay proactive about their heart
health. We encourage all students to take advantage of this event and prioritize
their well-being.”

For more information, visit www.onvidahealth.org/event/teen-heart-screenings/

More than 300 Yuma Union High School District Career and Technical Education (CTE) students competed in the SkillsUSA Region One competition throughout the last week of January at Arizona Western College (AWC), and several other locations across Yuma County.

In addition to YUHSD, Region One includes AWC, Antelope Union High School, Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma (STEDY), and middle school students from the area. 

“The students have worked so hard to prepare for this moment,” San Luis High School stagecraft teacher Timothy Ames said. “After their competitions, they’re coming out smiling, empowered, and ready to take on the next step in this journey, which would be state.” 

Students took part in 35 events where they were able to showcase their skills in areas such as stagecraft, prepared speech, job interview, video production, welding, automotive technologies, and more. 

Many YUHSD students will be advancing to the SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, which will take place in April. 

More about SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure the United States has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA serves more than 300,000 students and instructors annually. The organization has 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territorial associations. More than 14,500 instructors and administrators are professional members of SkillsUSA. The state of Arizona has been part of SkillsUSA since 1966.
 

Somerton High School will host the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Unified District Jamboree on January 10, 2025, with games starting at 9:15 a.m. in the Plaza de Toros and auxiliary gym.

The AIA-sanctioned event, which is free and open to the public, will feature participation from Somerton High School, Cibola High School, Gila Ridge High School, Kofa High School, and Yuma High School, offering the schools an opportunity to qualify for the Unified Basketball State Championship.

Unified Sports, a partnership between YUHSD and Special Olympics Arizona (SOAZ), brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities to compete as teammates. 

“We are very proud and grateful to have the opportunity to host this event for YUHSD schools and our community,” SHS Athletic Director David Barrios said. “We want to thank the participants, their families, coaches, SOAZ and Ms Jonica Flores for their hard work and support in making this event happen. We have some very talented athletes and events like these get very competitive but it's always a thing of beauty to see the sportsmanship and camaraderie displayed by all involved.”

The Jamboree emphasizes meaningful involvement, where every participant contributes to their team’s success based on their skills and qualities. Unified Sports fosters respect, teamwork, and personal growth for all involved.
 

Yuma Union High School District’s student nutrition department will soon be cooking up some of its best meals yet. 

YUHSD was one of six school districts in the United States selected to take part in the sixth cohort of the “Get Schools Cooking” program, which is designed for school districts to transition from a heat-and-serve to a scratch-cooking operational model so they can serve students fresher, healthier, and more appetizing meals.

“We are thrilled to have this incredible opportunity to be part of Chef Ann Foundation Sixth Cohort of ‘Get Schools Cooking,’” YUHSD Executive Director of Student Nutrition Elena Hildreth said. “Our goal has always been to provide our students with fresh healthy meals, rich in culture and true to the community of Yuma. Having the support and resources from the Chef Ann Foundation, will ensure we are successful.”

The intensive three-year program is part of the Chef Ann Foundation, founded by Ann Cooper, and includes training, strategic planning, an on-site assessment, and a system assistance grant. Overall, the program has a value of nearly $250,000 per participating district.

“We're so excited to kick off the sixth cohort of Get Schools Cooking and work closely with these
districts over the next three years to transform their meal programs," said Lori Nelson, Executive
Director of School Food Operations at the Chef Ann Foundation. “Not only will we provide healthier school meals to over 96,600 students, but we'll also be driving long-term sustainable change in school food systems nationwide."

Since 2016, not including the 2024-25 cohort, Get Schools Cooking has impacted more than 180,000 children in 27 districts across 21 states. YUHSD is only the second school district in Arizona and the first high school district in the country to be selected. 

Hildreth and members of her team will attend a Get School Cooking workshop in Bellingham, Washington in February to help kick off the program. 

The following districts were selected for the 2024-25 cohort: 
Yuma Union High School District, Arizona; Durham Public Schools, North Carolina; Fairfield City Schools, Alabama; Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Ohio; Santa Fe Public School District, New Mexico; and Elida Municipal Schools, New Mexico.
 

Yuma Union High School District and its schools will be closed for Christmas and winter break beginning at the close of business on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. Offices reopen to the public on Jan. 6, 2025 and students return to all seven schools on Thursday, Jan. 9.

For more information about the district calendar, please visit YumaUnion.org or click here: https://www.yumaunion.org/district1/district/district-calendars

The Yuma Union High School District Governing Board on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, by way of a 4-0 vote, approved district calendars for the next two school years. 

The calendars are for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years, and include semester start and end dates, holidays, breaks, and grading periods.

All calendars are accessible in English and Spanish via the district’s website (yumaunion.org) by hovering over the “for parents” section and clicking on “district calendars” in the drop-down menu. The current district calendar, running through the 2024-25 school year, is located at the top of the page. You may also access the page by visiting the following link: https://www.yumaunion.org/district1/district/district-calendars  

Calendars for the coming school years include a first day of school on Tuesday as opposed to Thursday and a three-week winter break. YUHSD parents and staff were asked for input to the calendars via surveys sent through the ParentSquare communication platform. Nearly 4,000 responses were recorded from the two surveys with the board-approved calendars eliciting a 70.6 percent approval from district stakeholders.
 

Yuma Union High School District is seeking volunteer judges for multiple competitions at its annual Academic Decathlon Scrimmage.  
 
The scrimmage, which will help students prepare for Arizona’s regional competitions in 2025, takes place over two days (Dec. 5 and 7, 2024) at Kofa High School. 

There are multiple volunteer opportunities for those interested: 
Essays: After November 19, at your convenience, but finished evaluation by December 5
Interviews and Speeches: December 5, 2024 (4 - 8:00 p.m.)
Tests: December 7, 2024

Training will be provided to ensure volunteers are well-prepared for their role as a judge or proctor. Dinner will be provided for all Thursday volunteers, while continental breakfast will be provided for all volunteers on Saturday. 

To sign up and volunteer for this exciting event, please visit https://forms.gle/SFDZwyyrC7wRdfnZ9 and complete the volunteer registration form.

After filling out the form, a representative from Kofa High School will contact you with instructions specific to your competition. Questions should be directed to Joe Daily at jdaily@yumaunion.org or (928) 502-5357.

According to Arizona’s Academic Decathlon website, the Academic Decathlon program was started in California in 1968 by the Orange County Academic Decathlon Association, in cooperation with the Orange County Superintendent of School’s office. The Arizona Academic Decathlon Association (AADA) was formed in 1985 from the Pima County Academic Decathlon Association, which was started the previous year by the Pima County School Superintendent. Arizona held its first statewide competition in 1985.

Their mission is to promote, motivate and acknowledge excellence in academic efforts and educational achievement through a program of academic competitions for high school students of all scholastic achievement levels. As the name indicates, students compete in ten areas: art, economics, essay, interview, literature, mathematics, music, science, social science, & speech.
YUHSD schools have traditionally fared well at the state level of Academic Decathlon with Cibola High School finishing in the top 13 multiple times, and several students from Cibola, Gila Ridge, and Yuma High taking home individual prizes.  
 

Yuma Union High School District hosted its annual College, Career, Community and Military Fair from November 12-15, 2024, at each of the district’s seven high schools.

The event, which has transformed over the years from in-person only to an added virtual version via the Canvas Learning Management System that is accessible to all 11,000-plus students in the district, is an opportunity for students to connect with representatives from higher education, military branches, local businesses and community agencies and learn about potential future pathways. 

“The College, Career, Community, and Military Fair is vital to our students across the district,” Somerton High School Counseling Director Maria Dillard said. ”Students are exposed to different career pathways. I am excited to see many of our students asking questions, seeking advice, and learning how to start planning for their future. CCCM gives our students a closer look at not only careers but it connects their learning to the real world.”

Arizona's major universities, two-year colleges, military academies/ROTC representatives, community agencies and career and technical programs will be present at the event along with businesses from around the county previewing internships and future job prospects.

Students also participated in a personality and learning style assessment, designed to help them identify potential career paths that align with their individual strengths and interests. Students received personalized scores and career suggestions that fit their unique profiles, allowing them to explore job fields they may not have previously considered.

“It’s really helpful since they are here and we can ask them any questions and get information,” Somerton High School student Kassandra Duenas said. “I want to volunteer at the hospital because I want to study medicine after I graduate.”

While some schools hosted in-person events during the week, all schools spent 30 minutes Tuesday through Thursday giving students time to access the tools and resources on Canvas. Each day was themed with college starting the week off and military opportunities closing the week. This is the fourth year that a virtual option for the fair has been available district wide.