Sophomore Kaylee West

A new school year always means new students, but with a record number of attendees this year, De Soto High School is more full than ever. This is partly due to the increase of transfers DHS received this year.

“This is the first year more students attended DHS from Mill Creek than attended Mill Valley,” Principal Dustin Mortenson said. He thinks the 66 new transfers at DHS this year are here due to the school’s environment.

Of the the 859 students at DHS, 234 are freshmen, making this freshman class the largest DHS has seen. Evan Vilchis, a freshman, was supposed to go to MVHS, but he transferred to DHS instead.

“I like DHS a lot,” Vilchis said. “I think it’s a good community and school to be in.”

Vilchis transferred to be able to participate in activities and sports, along with the fact that he thinks “the people are nicer [at DHS].” He says that DHS went above his expectations.

Freshmen aren’t the only ones who can transfer. Sophomore Kaylee West spent her freshman year at MVHS but transferred to De Soto because she liked the dance team and had more friends that attended the school. She also said MVHS was big and hard to find classes in.

Mill Valley isn’t the only school that the transfers come from. Sophomore Shantel Horne transferred to De Soto after spending her freshman year at Olathe North High School.

“My old school had 2,600 people and I wanted a smaller school with more opportunities,” Horne said. “I like it a lot better [at DHS] because I’m more involved in a lot of things and I have a lot more people I can talk to.”

Horne is in debate and plans to participate in the musical, things she says she would never have done at Olathe North.

The environment of DHS is proving to become popular around the district, and even outside of it. Mortenson says that part of the reason why is that people share their good experiences in their communications to their friends.

“I do think we are going to continue to see an increase [in students],” Mortenson said. The current trend definitely agrees, but only time will tell.