Week Eight - Fall 2026

Our 12th-grade Government students had some visitors from Placer County Voter Outreach last week to talk about the voting process and what it looks like to participate in an election.

Students learned about registering to vote, how ballots are cast and counted, and some of the systems in place to make elections work. One of the most interesting parts of the conversation was the impact young voters can have, particularly in local elections where races and issues can sometimes be decided by relatively small margins.

Many of our seniors are turning 18 and will soon have their first opportunity to vote. It was great to give them a chance to learn how the process works, ask questions, and better understand the role they can play in their own community.

I stopped by an Advanced Ceramics class this week where students were working on a mask project. They were using clay to create three-dimensional masks, thinking about shape, texture, proportion, and all of the little details that can completely change the look and personality of a face.

What was especially fun was seeing how different each one was. Students started with the same basic assignment, but their ideas went in all kinds of directions. One student was even sculpting a pretty impressive skull.

I'm always impressed by the combination of creativity and technical skill happening in our art classes. I'm looking forward to seeing these after they make it through the kiln!

I stopped by Ms. Newton's Integrated Math 1 class this week and found students out of their seats, working in randomized groups at 13 different whiteboards spread around the classroom walls.

Instead of working quietly through problems at their desks, students were standing together, writing, erasing, talking through ideas, and comparing different approaches to solving problems. Ms. Newton moved around the room, asking questions and checking in as groups worked through their thinking.

It was active, a little noisy, and especially energizing!

On Tuesday, our seniors had the chance to cash in on some of their hard work from last year's state testing. Students earned SBAC raffle tickets for meeting or exceeding the state standard, as well as for improving their scores from 8th grade.

Staff donated more than 40 prizes, and students got to decide exactly where to put their tickets. The options ranged from Dutch Bros gift cards to personalized concerts from members of our band and plenty of other creative prizes.

And, for reasons that seemed like a good idea when we came up with it, Mr. Rickabaugh and I have offered to pick up some lucky students in my minivan, chauffeur them through the McDonald's drive-thru for breakfast, and deliver them to school.

The boxes are full. The drawings are coming soon. And I'm hoping someone actually put a ticket in the minivan box.

There really is nothing quite like Homecoming Week at Del Oro. For the next five days, our campus will be full of dress-up days, lunchtime activities, class competitions, work nights, float building, the rally, parade, football games, and finally the Homecoming Dance on Saturday night.

What makes the week so special isn't any one event. It's how many people get involved. Students stay late painting and building, staff jumps in, and parents donate food, help with floats, support work nights, and somehow turn some pretty ambitious student ideas into reality.

With work nights, dress-up days, spirit wars, the rally, the parade, the game, the band light show, the dance, and more, there are plenty of opportunities to jump in. Homecoming at Del Oro is different.  Don't just watch. Jump in!

It's going to be a fun week. Go Eagles!