In a previous interview with our very own principal, Dr. Rossi, I, Michael Irvin and my fellow peer Kyle Dumas learned of some very interesting things coming to Desert Edge next year. Here is what the good Doctor had to say:
“We will be about one-hundred and forty students larger, and will be getting almost four hundred incoming freshmen. Also next year Dr. Rossi mentioned a success
strategy class for incoming students.
As for next year the schedule for Advisory will be changed from Wednesdays and Fridays, to Mondays and Fridays, Dr. Rossi feels that students and advisory teachers will be more in tune with each other, starting the week off together, and then ending the week together. As for time changes, Advisory would still be thirty minutes long.
For those of you wondering if there will be any changes to administration, no there will be no changes, Mr. Nelson and Mrs. Hammer will be back next year. They wanted to stay and follow their classes throughout the years.
For those of you that didn’t know, we already have seventy people working under Dr. Rossi, which he hired personally. And to hire those seventy people, he had to go through over three hundred interviews. For seventy teachers and faculty, he searched far and wide to hire the best of the best. “That’s what I look for; people who generally care about kids” Dr. Rossi wanted teachers that would build strong connections, not only with the students, but with other teachers and administration as well. Dr. Rossi even confided to us that he is even reading books in his spare time on student’s voice, and what students seem to want.
While speaking with Dr. Rossi he told us (as well as general observations of his office) that almost everything revolves around school business and it really shows his dedication. If you ever step into his off you’ll notice a theme, and that theme is Desert Edge. His office is completely covered with Desert Edge memorabilia and he even has the four pillars on his wall. He even told us that our Desert Edge Scorpion mascot is even going to be on Television on the hit TV Show: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Dr. Rossi even told us at just how much work it takes to run a school, and how many different people call him and how many different ways he is being pulled. He quoted, “The phone could ring and be the State Department or just the teacher down the hall.”
But enough about that for right now, I know some of you out there want to know more about classes next year. Will there be more classes will there be a loss of classes. Well here’s there answer, there will be added classes. No losses, now just because Desert Edge won’t be completely disbanding and classes, some departments will be cutting back a little bit. Numbers went down on interests primarily in drama, band and choir. Next year expect 2 sections next year for drama instead of 4 sections this year, and 4 sections for band instead of 6, and Choir has only 2 sections next year. It’s not Dr. Rossi choice, or even the districts choice, it’s the students that are causing cutbacks in those areas. Students can’t commit. Now that doesn’t mean that students are being lazy or anything negative towards them, its just graduation and university requirements cause a conflict for those students that want to still be in choir but need the other credits to graduate. It’s a shame but it’s a fair sacrifice, and one that cannot be avoided for next year. If there is more interest and commitment next year those programs will be brought back up again.
Sports wise, there is honestly nothing more the school can add on to the sports department. All of our sports are at the farthest they can go. Dr. Rossi is especially proud in our Track team, “Last year was the first yeah we had track.”
Because of track and the students involved in it the percentage of students having two or more F’s was significantly reduced. Dr. Rossi said “We’ve gotta get them connected to the school.”
Anyone wondering about Mr. Clemens? Well some if not most of you have seen him around campus, and he is walking around and back to an almost normal life, as well as could be expected. Mr. Clemens will be coming back soon, hopefully next year, around second semester. And while we’re on the subject of Mr. Clemens I would also like to give thanks the Mr. Larry Ridge, the man who saved Mr. Clemens life. For those of you at the very first Varsity home football game, you got to see the man who saved Mr. Clemens. At that game Dr. Rossi made him an honorary scorpion, and presented him with some Desert Edge memorabilia. A little while back the two of them, Mr. Clemens and Mr. Ridge we able to get together for the first time since the accident and were able to talk about it and show what happened from both perspectives. Dr Rossi happened to be there for this encounter and he said “Seeing them interact was powerful.”
These are just some of things waiting for all of you Desert Edge students next year and a few things that you may have missed this year. And for those returning as sophomores and upper classmen, the senior gift will be quite an addition to the school itself. All that is known right now is that production on it will begin right after the end of the school year. And you all will be in for a surprise when you come back.