Author: Carolina McGoey

Dear Families, 

On behalf of the entire Darien High School Parents Association (DHSPA) Executive Board, we want to welcome you to the 2025-2026 school year! As we enter a new year, we aim to continue to support DHS events, and enrich our school community. We have a few items for your review and action. Please take note! 

Leadership

This year, at the helm of the Executive Board, will be Caroline Comfort and Adrienne Kelly serving as the Co-Chairs. We are also fortunate to have an incredibly talented group of volunteers at the ready to assist with this year’s schedule of activities and events! Please CLICK HERE for a list of all volunteers and CLICK HERE if you would like to become more involved, as we still have a few open positions! 

Communication

The Darien High School Parents Newsletter (DPN) will be published every Sunday at 6pm when school is in session. In order to receive this weekly digest covering all aspects of student life, you must opt in to the mailing list. Please see the following options to update your subscription:

NEW? If you are new to the DPN (freshman, just moved, or other), please CLICK HERE to fill out the form to receive the weekly parents newsletter!  

GRADUATED? If you no longer wish to receive the DPN, please simply click the unsubscribe button on the first issue on August 24th. 

RETURNING? If you are a returning family who has received the DPN in the past, you don’t need to do anything!

Directory

In order to find phone numbers and contact information, all families are asked to update or add themselves to the DHS Directory. If you are a returning family, you will need to update your information prior to purchasing digital access, and new families will need to create an account and provide information to be included. Please CLICK HERE for direct access to Membership Toolkit, the database that houses our Directory.  Please CLICK HERE for detailed instructions on how to join or update your information! 

Homecoming

Please save the date for Saturday, September 20th at 7pm for another amazing Homecoming Celebration at DHS. The week leading up to it will be full of varsity sporting events and opportunities to support our Blue Wave pride. Please CLICK HERE  to access the HoCo Merch Store, which is open and ready for purchasing gear for the games! This is a one-time sale, and the store closes August 27th!  Please CLICK HERE for event details on the DHS website and ticket information. The DHSPA is once again excited to support the Homecoming dance featuring games, prizes, and the mechanical bull ride, so you won’t want to miss out! Tickets go on sale on September 1st! 

Go Blue Wave!

Caroline Comfort and Adrienne Kelly

Thank you to the 233 DHS families who donated to our 2024 DHSPA Direct Appeal! Thanks to your generous donations, we have surpassed our goal and raised $35,785!

Our direct appeal donation link is always live, so if you’d still like to donate, please click here or checks may be sent to DHS (payable to Darien High School Parent Association). Thank you, again, for your support! Your contributions will significantly impact our ability to support the many initiatives benefiting our entire school community. 
Here’s to an enriching and fun upcoming year!

Gina Gromelski & Ali Cherenek, DHSPA Fundraising Chairs

Beth Lane & Kelly Scallon, DHSPA Co-Chairs

As we approach the conclusion of this campaign, we would like to thank the 189 DHS families who have donated to this ONE and ONLY appeal of the year! We are currently at 97% toward our goal of $30,000 having raised $29,085! 

We are suggesting a donation of $125 per student, but getting more participation from our school community in any amount would significantly enhance the initiatives for our students, staff and families at DHS. We are so grateful for your participation in this appeal, no matter the amount!

Please click here to donate via PayPal (QR code below!) or checks may be sent to DHS (payable to Darien High School Parent Association).

Thank you, again and again, for your support this year!

Gina Gromelski & Ali Cherenek, Fundraising Co-Chairs

Beth Lane & Kelly Scallon, Darien High School Parent Association Co-Chairs

Thank you to all our fabulous sponsors for a very successful Homecoming and Spirit Week! Our first under the lights game was a hit and we sold over 750 Tickets to the Dance Party.

Students loved it and we brought the DHS community together.

Thanks to you all! #GoBlueWave

Get your tickets for Homecoming Dance HERE

DHS Homecoming is almost here! We are looking for raffle prize donations for our Homecoming weekend, and we’d love for you to be part of it! Items will be raffled off during Saturday’s Dance Party (along with a few gift cards during Friday’s football game). 

By donating an item, you and your family will be recognized as an official Homecoming sponsor – a great way for family, friends or businesses to come together and show your DHS spirit!

Want to get together with other friends and donate an item? You can do that to! Families can team up to donate – just note family names on the Sign-Up Genius. The link for donations is HERE.

Have a cool item or experience you’d like to donate? Reach out to us to get involved here.

Let’s make this year’s Homecoming unforgettable for our students!

Please deliver all donations by Friday, October 11th. 

Thank you for your generosity and support! #dhshoco #rollwave

Click HERE to submit an order.

We welcome all of you to a new year at DHS! 

As summer winds down, the DHSPA is looking forward to a great year supporting our students, faculty and staff. We will have some programs for students and parents alike. We are also excited for a really wonderful Homecoming weekend this year, with a double-header game of soccer and football on Friday, October 18th, as well as a Homecoming dance party for the students on Saturday the 19th. 

Check the Parents Survival Guide tab, which has been updated with all the 2024-2025 relevant information!

Make sure you are subscribed to our weekly newsletter, the DPN. If you are not in the school directory, you can subscribe HERE.

Join our Facebook and Instagram accounts as well. Links on the icons here on the website. We share lots of relevant information there!

The DHS Spirit Wear Pop-Up  is officially live as of August 26th, and it will remain open until September 5th. Dive into the Blue Wave Spirit with our exclusive Fall Collection!.

Dear Parents,

We are thrilled to announce the 2023-2024 DHSPA Direct Appeal Kickoff! This is our one and only direct appeal and we depend on your support heavily. This year, the appeal will run for just 28 days from October 23rd – November 20th. The support you provide allows us to continue with the opportunities that make Darien High School consistently ranked one of the top schools in the state! Your involvement and generosity have played a vital role in creating a fun and inspiring community for our students, teachers and administration!

The 2023 DHSPA Direct Appeal goal is $30,000. We are suggesting a donation of $125 per student, but we are beyond grateful for any donation that aligns with your family’s budget. Your contribution to this direct appeal will significantly impact our ability to support the following initiatives and many more!

• Parenting and community programming with incredible speakers such as Mark Brackett, Lisa Damour and Joyce Sixsmith, as well as grade-level parent coffees and the DHS Alumni Panel
• Mental health initiatives such as Wellness Week and our new Wellness Center, newly furnished!
• Fun student initiatives such as the 100 Day Dinner, Battle of the Bands, Trunk or Treat and contributing to our junior and senior proms as well as other Student Government activities
• Enrichment & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives
• Teacher initiatives and luncheons, including back-to-school, Teacher Appreciation Day, holidays, end of year and restocking of the faculty lounge
• Graduation events like the college fair, rehearsal picnic, reception and the senior lawn signs

Please click here to donate via PayPal (QR code below!) or checks may be sent to DHS (payable to Darien High School Parent Association).

As always, thank you for your continued support.

Beth Lane & Kelly Scallon, Darien High School Parent Association Co-Chairs

Gina Gromelski & Ali Cherenek, Fundraising Co-Chairs