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Home > Archive > Mar 6, 2008

Bloomington School Will Open, Compete in August
By Layne Roberts
Washington County School District will open a fifth high school, located in Bloomington, beginning with the fall 2008 school year. Although the school will be brand new in August, some may be surprised at the level of sports competition offered by Desert Hills High School.
“I think the people in Washington County will be very surprised at the quality we will have in the first year. Sometimes it is not quantity, but quality,” Desert Hills High School Athletic Director Donna McConnell said.
That’s a statement to remember, as some people project that the school will have approximately 700 students its first year, some 300 fewer than Snow Canyon, Dixie, and Pine View all currently have.
The boundaries for Desert Hills, which also include Leeds, will essentially take students from Dixie and Pine View High Schools and feed them into the new school, located in Bloomington.
Though the deadline has already passed, there was a time for open enrollment into Desert Hills High School. Though students would have had to provide their own transportation, it was an option for students as long as their enrollment was not athletically motivated.
“The move was intended to help alleviate the discrepancy of enrollment numbers, but now a student would have to live in the school boundaries because that deadline has passed,” McConnell said.
McConnell, who currently teaches English at Pine View Middle School, is more than qualified for the task ahead of her as athletic dirctor.
After earning a degree as a recreational therapist from Brigham Young University, McConnell earned degrees in physical education and English from Southern Utah University. McConnell, though, was not done, and she went on to graduate first in her class with a master’s degree in administration from SUU.
Aside from her scholastic accomplishments and teaching pedigree, McConnell has always been heavily involved in sports and has coached softball, tennis and volleyball as well.
In an effort to build school identity and unity among the school’s new students, McConnell and school administrators have included the students in a variety of ways. For example, students who lived within the boundaries got together to help decide the school mascot, which eventually became the Desert Hills Thunder, although the actual mascot figure has yet to be decided.
“This is their (the students’) school. I work here, but it is their school,” McConnell said.
The decision, like many others, has to be approved by the school district. The school also has announced they will use colors akin to the NFL’s New Orleans: Gold and Black.
McConnell said the color is called Vegas Gold, but because different companies offer different shades and names for their colors, the exact color has yet to be finalized.
Another activity McConnell has organized is the coming together of the different programs or sports, for the students to get to know each other and build the Thunder spirit. Those interested in cheerleading, for example, met last week to discuss important dates, such as tryouts, for the squad. The football team, or those interested, met yesterday evening in the same context, McConnell said.
Other programs will hold similar meetings well before it’s time for the school to open.
Because of the enrollment numbers, the Desert Hills Thunder will be considered a 3A school with the Canyon View Falcons, Cedar Redmen, and Hurricane Tigers. Though the Thunder will be in a different class entirely, they will also compete with the Dixie Flyers, Pine View Panthers, and Snow Canyon Warriors, along with the aforementioned schools, in Region 9 competition.
A plan is also in the works for an official school barbeque or breakfast at the end of this school year to officially kick off DHHS.
This, among other things, is considered very important, as the school will be brand new, and the better the faculty and students bond and share a similar vision will only assist in making the transition as smooth as possible.
“Everyone is coming from different schools; they have different expectations with what we want to establish. It will be a transition for students as well as faculty. … We want it to be as supportive as possible,” McConnell said.
McConnell, who, after five years at Spanish Fork Intermediate, is in her 12th year at Pine View Middle, will have many other responsibilities at the school as well. She will also be responsible for scheduling all activities at the school, not just the athletic events.
McConnell, who considers herself a detail-oriented person, will also oversee new or out-of-state transfer teachers, as the Staff Developer at DHHS as well.
Preparation for the opening of the school, though, is a day-to-day process, McConnell said, and many things are yet to be finalized, such as putting the finishing touches on the stadium’s aesthetics.
“We are still working on a logo. We know we are the Thunder, but we are still working on what we want on the basketball court or football field,” McConnell said.
The school is also in the process of ordering all of the equipment needed for their sports teams.
Though some coaches have been hired already, the school is certainly not done with the hiring process.
“We are looking for quality coaches that are here to develop students academically as well as athletically. Our priority is school first with our new (coaching) hires,” McConnell said.
Positions that have already been filled include the cheer, football, swim, tennis and volleyball coaches. Those positions will be held by Cassidy Legg, Kevin Cuthbertson, Dani Caldwell, Dow Christensen and Jill Swaney respectively. 
For more information or to inquire about available positions, contact Donna McConnell at danam@m.pvms.wash.k12.ut.us. Additional information such as boundaries and visual color schemes are available at http://secondaryed.washk12.org/Proposed_Changes.html.

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