Desert Sands Unified School District

✖️➗➕🟰It’s Elementary Math Field Day at Shadow Hills High School, and our young mathematicians are ready to shine! 💡⚡️

Today is all about teamwork, problem-solving, and showing off those sharp math skills. Whether it’s quick calculations or tricky puzzles, these students are proving that learning can be both fun and exciting!

Let’s cheer them on as they rise to the challenge…every number and every student counts!💡

A huge thank you to for funding Math Field Day and putting on an incredible math festival after lunch! Your support made this event a huge success, sparking a love for math in our students. We appreciate all that you do!



Desert Sands Unified School District
Shadow Hills High School
Riverside County Office of Education
KESQ News Channel 3
NBC Palm Springs
Desert Sun
EL INFORMADOR DEL VALLE
Uken Report
Tamara Wadkins

📚✨ Elementary Battle of the Books! ✨📚

What an incredible showdown of literary knowledge at Battle of the Books, this week! On Wednesday, February 26, 16 elementary schools gathered at La Quinta High School to put their reading skills to the test.📖

Huge shoutout to Kirsten Hill, Project Facilitator for ELA, and Allison Cyr, Project Teacher at Kennedy, for organizing such a fantastic event! And of course, congratulations to our top teams! 🏆🎊

🥇 1st Place: Van Buren
🥈 2nd Place: Gerald Ford
🥉 3rd Place: Washington Charter

Way to go, young readers! Keep turning those pages and reaching for the stars!

📸Thank you to Mike Kint, Senior Director of Elementary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for capturing the photos below!

📚💙



Desert Sands Unified School District
Van Buren Elementary School
Gerald R. Ford Elementary School
Washington Charter School
Kennedy Elementary
Riverside County Office of Education
Tamara Wadkins
NBC Palm Springs
Desert Sun
KESQ News Channel 3
Uken Report
EL INFORMADOR DEL VALLE

Sharing is caring! 💯🙌 FREE FOOD is available at locations throughout the valley, starting with our own Desert Ridge Academy in Indio.

📚✨ How do you hug a porcupine? Very carefully… and with a good book! 😆

At Carter Elementary, it’s all about sparking a love for reading early! To promote an Early Start to Literature, the school got creative…one of its amazing team members illustrated every page of How Do You Hug a Porcupine? and put them on display in the kitchen for students to enjoy! 🦔

This fun book was gifted at an annual retreat, and they couldn’t wait to share it. Our district is on a mission to get kids excited about reading, and we’re all in! 📖✨

Tag a book-loving friend and tell us: What’s your favorite childhood book? ⬇️💬


Desert Sands Unified School District
Carter James Earl Elementary School
Riverside County Office of Education
Tamara Wadkins

🧑‍🧑‍🧒 Excited Families, Balloons, Teddy Bears & Big Smiles! 🎈🐻

Future DSUSD scholars kicked off their journey in style at our TK/K Enrollment Fair! Families walked through a vibrant balloon arch, got enrollment help, and connected with district and community resources. Kids had a blast with LEGO playtime, took home cuddly teddy bears, and struck a pose at the photo booth!

Thanks to everyone who joined us! We are so excited to welcome our newest students!




Desert Sands Unified School District
Harry S Truman Elementary School
Abraham Lincoln Elementary
Carrillo Ranch Elementary School
Vanburen Elementary School
James Monroe Elementary School
Ronald Reagan Elementary School
Dr. Carreon Academy
Riverside County Office of Education
KESQ News Channel 3
NBC Palm Springs
Desert Sun
EL INFORMADOR DEL VALLE
Uken Report
Coachella Valley Weekly
Tamara Wadkins
Andrew Jackson

🏆 HISTORY MADE—AGAIN! 🏆

The Shadow Hills Lady Knights Wrestling team has done it AGAIN—Back-to-Back CIF-SS Champions! 💪🔥 They conquered the Northern Division CIF-SS Individual Finals, proving once more why they are the only Girls Wrestling program in the Coachella Valley to achieve this incredible feat!

For all the details visit the “DSUSD Highlights” section on our website: https://www.dsusd.us/news/highlights!

👏 Huge shoutout to La Quinta HS and Palm Desert HS, for proudly representing the Coachella Valley at CIF-SS Individual Finals! Together, these programs continue to elevate Desert Sands Unified School District athletics!

🔥 Good luck to our Lady Knights at the State Tournament! Let’s bring home more victories! 🔥 💜💪



Desert Sands Unified School District
Shadow Hills High School
Shadow Hills Knights
Desert Sun
EL INFORMADOR DEL VALLE
Uken Report
NBC Palm Springs
KESQ News Channel 3
Tamara Wadkins

Abilities in Action: Adapted PE Field Day Brings Joy! 🏅✨

Shadow Hills High School hosted an unforgettable day of adaptive sports, teamwork, and fun as DSUSD united middle and high school students from Extensive Support Needs Classrooms! 💪🌟

With specially designed games promoting movement, camaraderie, and confidence, this event was made possible by a $7,500 grant from ! 🙌

Huge thanks to Shadow Hills High student-athletes and the Special Education Department for making this day safe and amazing. A true celebration of our students’ incredible abilities! 🏆🎈


Desert Sands Unified School District
Desert Sands Educational Foundation
Shadow Hills High School
Riverside County Office of Education
Desert Sun
NBC Palm Springs
KESQ News Channel 3
EL INFORMADOR DEL VALLE
Uken Report
The City of Indio - Government
Coachella Valley Weekly
Tamara Wadkins

🎨✨ Brightening Up DSUSD! ✨🎨
A HUGE shoutout to Ms. Jennifer Hunt’s 4th Grade Class at Truman Elementary for sharing their incredible artwork with us!
🖼️🎉 Their vibrant, abstract masterpieces are now adorning the halls of the DSUSD District Building, bringing color, creativity, and inspiration to all who visit!
🌈🖌️ These talented young artists explored different styles, learned about famous artists, and even dabbled in abstract art and architecture. Their creativity knows no bounds, and we couldn’t be more excited to showcase their work!
🎨🤩
Check out their amazing pieces and this burst of artistic brilliance! 👏✨

Desert Sands Unified School District

Harry S Truman Elementary School
City of La Quinta - Government
Riverside County Office of Education
Tamara Wadkins

📌DSUSD Board of Education meeting agendas are always available from our district website and posted at https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/Index.aspx?S=36030759

📢Open to all high school students across our valley! 💃🕺

✨ Attention All High School Students Attending Prom! ✨

Looking for the perfect dress? 🎉 Don’t miss our FREE Prom Dress Giveaway, open to all high school students across the valley! 💃🕺

📅 No appointment necessary – just stop by! Check out the flyer for dates and times.

Don’t miss this chance to find your dream dress for prom! 💖

DSUSD is helping families enroll children (for 2025-2026) in transitional kinder & kindergarten on Monday, 2/24 from 2-6pm at the District Education Center on Dune Palms Road in La Quinta. The one stop shop will have LEGO playtime and a teddy bear giveaway! [PLEASE SHARE]

🤩 WAY TO GO, Palm Desert High School AZTECS‼

Palm Desert High School takes first place in 20th annual Academic WorldQuest competition | CSUSB News | CSUSB Mike Singer | CSUSB Office of Marketing and Communications | (760) 341-2883, ext. 78107 | [email protected] Palm Desert High School takes first place in 20th annual Academic WorldQuest competition The event, which took place at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, was facilitated and coordinated by Michael...

🎉👏 Celebrating DSUSD Employees of the Month! 👏🎉

At the Feb 18th School Board Meeting, we honored our incredible Employees of the Month! 🍎💙 Huge congrats to:

✨ Brooke Triplett, Management Employee of the Month – Assistant Principal at Paige Middle School
✨ Gregg Kraus, Certificated Employee of the Month, Auto Mechanics Teacher, Amistad High School
✨ Cynthia Gonzalez, Classified Employee of the Month, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Student Support Services

A special thanks to Dr. Dan Borgen for presenting these well-deserved recognitions! 🙌

Let’s show our appreciation for these amazing individuals! Drop a comment and share the love! ❤️



Desert Sands Unified School District
Riverside County Office of Education
Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle School
Amistad High School
Tamara Wadkins

🏆At the February 4th DSUSD School Board Meeting, we had the honor of recognizing some outstanding groups for their incredible achievements! 👏✨

🏆 La Quinta High School Girls’ & Boys’ Cross Country Teams 🏆
These dedicated student-athletes earned the honor for having the highest GPAs among high schools competing in the Fall Riverside County Academic-Athletic Team Awards! 🏅📚 Their hard work in both academics and athletics is truly inspiring! A special thank you to Dr. Steve Hickman from the Riverside County Office of Education for joining us to present these well-deserved plaques and patches!

💻 Common Sense Media Award Recipients 💻
We are proud to recognize our Common Sense Schools for their commitment to teaching students how to be safe, responsible digital citizens. Your dedication to helping students navigate the digital world with confidence and responsibility is making a lasting impact! 🌍✨ Thank you to Tiffany Norton, Chief Innovation and Information Officer, for presenting this important recognition to more than 20 of our schools!

Let’s give a big round of applause to these amazing students, educators, and schools! 👏🎉 Desert Sands Unified School DistrictoRiverside County Office of EducationsLa Quinta High SchoolyDesert Sun EL INFORMADOR DEL VALLEhUken ReporteKESQ News Channel 3RNBC Palm SpringsRTamara Wadkinss Channel 3

☕💖 A Sweet Start to Valentine’s Day at Oliphant Elementary! 💖☕

This Valentine’s Day edition of “Koffee with Kelly” was filled with coffee, conversation, and community! 🥐✨ Superintendent Dr. Kelly May-Vollmar joined teachers, parents, students, and staff at Oliphant Elementary for a heartwarming morning of connection over coffee and delicious pastries.

Building strong relationships is at the ❤️ of DSUSD, and what better way to celebrate than with a cup of coffee and great company? ☕💬


🎉


Desert Sands Unified School District
Oliphant Elementary School
Desert Sands Educational Foundation
Riverside County Office of Education
The City of Indio - Government
Indio Police Department
Tamara Wadkins

🥞💖 Flipping for Love at Shadow Hills High! 💖🥞

This morning, Principal Dr. David Dunn traded his desk for a griddle, serving up 2,000 pancakes with a whole lot of❤️! Students kicked off Valentine’s Day with a sweet breakfast surprise, complete with a delicious topping bar featuring fresh berries and other tasty treats. 🍓✨

Dr. Dunn’s dedication to his students goes beyond the classroom, because nothing says “We ❤️ Our Students” like a homemade pancake breakfast! 🏫🥞💙

🎉



Desert Sands Unified School District
Shadow Hills High School
Shadow Hills Knights
Tamara Wadkins
NBC Palm Springs
Desert Sun
KESQ News Channel 3
EL INFORMADOR DEL VALLE
Uken Report
Riverside County Office of Education

🎤✨ DSUSD Staff Talent Show: A Night to Remember! ✨🎭

On February 7, 2025, the DSUSD Staff Wellness Committee hosted its 2nd Annual Staff Talent Show at Carrillo Ranch Elementary, and it was an unforgettable evening! 🎶🎩😂 From soulful singing to jaw-dropping magic and hilarious comedy, our talented DSUSD staff took the stage and wowed the crowd!

👏 Big congratulations to our winners!
🥇 1st Place: Pedro Mercado (singing)
🥈 2nd Place: Jeffery Arneson, Philip Jess & Jeffrey Keller (teacher band)
🥉 3rd Place: Heidi Allen (comedy & magic)

Shoutout to all our amazing performers: La Joy Cobb, Roxanne Edge, Susannah Vera, and Stephen Sante for sharing their talents! 🎶✨

A huge THANK YOU to Principal Fosselman for being the perfect emcee and to our DSUSD Staff Wellness Committee for organizing such a fantastic event. As Wellness Committee Lead Sue Ann Blach shared, events like these bring us together, uplift morale, and celebrate the incredible talents within our DSUSD family. ❤️

DSUSD Staff Wellness Committee Members in attendance:
Sue Ann Blach
Andrew Parra
Ruben Franco
Parry Myers
Susan Kadel
Adriana Fernandez
Michael Nguyen
Mellissa Ballard-Colyn

📸 If you were there, drop your favorite moments in the comments! Let’s relive the magic! 🎤✨



Desert Sands Unified School District
Riverside County Office of Education
Carrillo Ranch Elementary School
NBC Palm Springs
KESQ News Channel 3
Uken Report
Desert Sun
EL INFORMADOR DEL VALLE
Tamara Wadkins