Boys' Basketball
April 5, 2011

The boys played seven games this season in the Desert Middle School League.  Four of the games were "home" games, played for the first time on our new basketball court, where fans could follow the score on our "new" scoreboards.  The boys played hard but found themselves on the losing end for every game but the last one, when everything came together for a pretty convincing win, as you can see in the picture below.

Special thanks to Andrew Morales for again taking the time to coach the boys of DAA.

Athletic Day
April 5, 2011

Grades 5-8 participated in the Athletic Day held at Mesa Grande Academy this year.  It was a bright, sunny day (those of us who failed to put on sunscreen paid the price), with a rainbow of colors found in the shirts worn by the many schools in attendance.

The students could participate in the following nine events:  60 yard run, distance run (approximately 1/2 mile), standing long jump, sit-ups, push-ups, jump rope, hula hoop, Frisbee throw, and softball throw.  Seven events had to be completed successfully to receive a green Participation ribbon.

Neck medals for each even were given to the top boy and girl representing each grade level.  The following students from DAA won neck medals in the indicated events:

Katelin Briones (5) - standing long jump
Katelyn Hassett (5) - push-ups
Kali'i Faustino (5) - standing long jump, distance run, 60 yard run, and jump rope
Annie Clark (6) - jump rope and distance run
Anna Meyerhofer (6) - distance run (tied with Annie)
Lissa Clark (8) - sit-ups and push-ups

Congratulations to our DAA winners and to all the students for their terrific participation.

Handbell Festival
April 5, 2011

Six handbell choirs from five different SECC schools came together at Redlands Adventist Academy to practice all day in preparation for an evening performance.  Ninety junior high students made up the mass handbell choir, directed by Dr. Donovan Gray, our clinician.  Dr. Gray has been a member of the teaching faculty at Azusa Pacific University since 1991, where he is the Director of Bands, Wind Ensemble, Handbells, Graduate Music Education Chair, and teaches conducting for under-graduate and graduate students.

The Massed choirs played four pieces chosen by Dr. Gray, which included a bouncy African number played with drum accompaniment, Bwana Awabariki, a swingin' I'm Just a Poor Wayfaring Stranger, a joyful piece titled Gaudio Exsultans, and the timeless classic Morning Has Broken, featuring the "singing" bell.  Interspersed with the massed choir numbers were pieces performed by the individual schools.

All the choirs came well prepared, making the work of bringing them together as "one" a rewarding experience for Dr. Gray and a delightful musical event for the audience.

School Picnic
April 5, 2011

It was another beautiful day in the desert when students, teachers, and a good number of parents arrived at the Freedom Park for our annual School Picnic.  Four teams, made up of Big/Little Brothers/Sisters, participated in several different fun relays.  After letting the K-2 grades go for a cookie and juice, the remaining team members went on an "information" scavenger hunt, finding their answers in various places in the park.

Scoreboards!!
January 25, 2011

If you haven't been in the gymnasium in the last month or so, upon entering you would instantly see a difference.  Thanks to the generosity of Ted and Nancy Eichelberger, both ends of the gym now have huge scoreboards (well, not Dallas Cowboys' hug!) positioned next to the backboards, along with shotclocks.

The scoreboards come at a good time with the boys' first league game being played here at DAA on Monday, January 31, at 3:30 p.m.  They will be playing a team from Nellie Coffman School.  The rest of their schedule is as follows (home games in bold):

Feb 15   @ Raymond Cree Mid. School
Feb 16   King's School
Feb 22   @C.S.O.D.
Feb 23   Desert Chapel
Mar   2   @Marywood/Palm Valley

2010 Christmas Program
January 4, 2011

A delightful evening was experienced by family and friends who came to our Christmas program to hear the children sing, play the handbells, and perform Miracle on Main Street.

Kindergarten



5&6 Handbell Choir



Ensemble and Desert Ringers

Miracle on Main Street

Operation Christmas Child
November 18, 2010

DAA families and students participated in one of our annual outreach projects, "Operation Christmas Child," where families can get together and pack a shoebox with toys, books, pencils, and personal items to make a child very happy this Christmas.  Students were able to watch a touching video that showed the journey each shoebox takes as well as the joy their shoebox can create.  This is a great opportunity for students to share the love of Jesus as each shoebox includes a small booklet about God in the child's own language.

Sixty-two decorative shoeboxes were turned in yesterday, most of which can be seen in the following pictures.  Thank you, Mrs. Trudeau, for coordinating the project!

DAA Golf Tournament
November 4, 2010

WHAT:  The Gene Robinson Memorial Golf Tournament

WHEN:  Sunday, December 5, 2010
              10:00 a.m. Registration
              11:00 a.m. Shotgun Start
              3:30 p.m. Buffet Dinner and Awards Presentation

WHERE:  Indian Canyons Golf Resort
               1097 Murray Canyon Drive
               Palm Springs, CA 92264

COST:  $125 Per Player ($115 if paid by Nov. 19)
            $440 for a foursome
            $75 for DAA students playing with a parent

Applications & Payments must be received by Tuesday, November 30, to be assured participation in buffet dinner.  Applications can be picked up at the school office or can be emailed upon request.
   

2010 Fall Festival
November 3, 2010

Fun, fellowship, and food was enjoyed by all last Sunday afternoon at our 2010 Fall Festival, evident on the faces that follow.

2010 Girls' Volleyball
October 31, 2010

The Lady Lions 2010 Volleyball season ended this week, with the girls making volleyball history at DAA by being able to have home games for the first time on our new court.  In addition, they won two of their home court matches this year.  They were able to accomplish this having only one eighth grade student on the team, while competing against teams that had more eighth grade players.

Much appreciation goes to Paula Conant, who volunteered to coach the girls' team this year.  Congratulations girls for giving your fans an exciting year to cheer you on!

Gym Flooring and Equipment
June 15, 2010

The new gym flooring and basketball/volleyball standards were installed two weeks before school was over, much to the delight of all the students and staff!  Needed now is the accoustical material on the walls and staging and we should be "program ready"!

2010-2011 Tuition/Reg Fees
June 15, 2010

The tuition rates for the 2010-2011 school year are as follows:

    Constituent rate             $3910
    Non-Constituent rate      $4270

The registration fee is $270 if paid by June 30.  July 1 it goes up to $290. Registration forms and other necessary forms can be filled out online.

Students entering kindergarten must be 5 years old before December 2. First grade students must be six years old before the same date.

Feel free to call the school office (760-779-1799) if you need any other information regarding registration or the school in general.

2010 Graduations
June 4, 2010

An excited group of kindergarten children marched down the aisle on Tuesday, June 2, to their first graduation of hopefully several more.  The following evening, another group of excited students marched down the aisle to their eighth grade graduation.  Congratulations to all the graduates and to their teachers!

Kindergarten


8th Grade




7&8 Washington, D.C. Trip
June 2, 2010

The 7th and 8th grade class, Mrs. Savino, Mr. Rouse, and five parents flew from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. on Monday, May 17, joining with a group of students and adults from Roseburg Junior Academy in Oregon to spend the next four days taking in the sights and history of our national Capitol and Gettysburg.  The following pictures share with you a bit of that memorable experience!

 

2010 Spring Program
June 2, 2010

The annual Spring Program was held on Thursday, May 13.  Every grade level participated by singing or by playing in one of the handchime or handbell choirs.

The elementary choir performed the musical, GPS-God's Plan of Salvation, created by Celeste Clydesdale and arranged by David T. Clydesdale.  In this musical, Andrew is joined by his friends as he takes his driver's license test on the Holy Highway!  Andrew learns a few lessons the hard way, but he perseveres under trial and learns that with Jesus Christ in his life, the road of obedience leads to the throne of God!


Kindergarten




4th Grade Handchimes




5&6 Handbells




Desert Ringers




Elementary Choir

5 & 6 Outdoor School at PSR*
June 1, 2010

Every spring, the 5th and 6th grade students experience a fun and educational adventure at Pine Springs Ranch.  Following are their experiences in their own words.

“The 5th and 6th grade classes spent three days at Pine Springs Ranch for outdoor School.  One of my favorite classes was Astronomy because we learned about our solar system, planets, comets, and even stars.  I had so much fun in that class.”  Anna Clark

“The class that I liked the best was the Green Machine.  We got to make cars out of junk, hold a python, a hissing cockroach, and a tarantula.  We also learned how to go green.  It was fun!”  Jessica Taff

“I loved the pool because it was a nice, sunny day and I got to tan.  I liked the bon fire at night, too.”  Hannah Davis

“I absolutely loved the worships and songs we sang.  They were meaningful and had a really great lesson that we learned.”  Sabrina Wakefield

“I slept in cabin Chippewa with my friends Annie, Sarah, Darian, Hanka, and Jessica.  I was on the top bunk and I really like sleeping up there.”  Joann Garcia

“I loved waking up to such clean, fresh air.  I loved the hiking.”  Sarah Carino

“The pool was nice and heated, and they had an ultra-cool diving board.”  Hanka Eichelberger

“On our trip to PSR, I really like the Astronomy class because we got to look through a telescope and see Saturn with the rings around it.  It was so cool!”  Darian Huxtable

I loved the cafeteria food.  It tasted awesome!  I really wish I could have done more than just thank the people who prepared it.  I loved the group games.  They were so much fun, especially dodge ball and 4 way tug-of-war.”  Austen Wilcox

“My favorite class was the Green Machine because we got to learn how different animals help our environment.  We also got to pet them!  It was so much fun!  Amourette Chuzel

*Submitted by Mrs. Blue's class