All corners of the world: WHS over the summer
Flashing a smile for the camera, freshman Angela Avalos and her cousin Alejandra Magdaleno are reunited every year in Avalos’ annual trip to texas to visit her family.
Angela Avalos, 9: Texas family reunion
“People would sing karaoke, dance, and just have a good time. We got together to share stories, too. We go every year, so we tell them what goes on here, and they tell us what goes on there…I found out my aunt’s buying a new house.” Dallas, Texas
The 2013-2014 Dance Creations Nationals crew poses in front of the pool at the Hyatt Hotel in Anaheim, where the group performed on the Nationals dance competition stage after months of intense practice.
Hannah Eckert, 10: National Dance Competition
“We had Regionals in the spring, then we went to Anaheim for the National competition. It was scary, because there’s so many people watching and there’s so much pressure to do well, but it’s a lot of fun… I’d never been good at sports, so I tried dancing. I just really enjoy it, especially being up on stage. It let’s you do different things with your face, and you get to be yourself in a different way.” Anaheim, California
Esteban Calderon (left) and junior Hector Calderon (right) pose with their grandmother Trinidad at their house in Mexico. Since his family moved from Mexico to California and finally Wenatchee for his first year here at WHS, Calderon had not been able to visit his home since this past summer.
Hector Calderon, 11: Mexico to visit Grandma
“I lived in Mexico for two years… I went back to Mexico this summer to visit my grandma. I hadn’t seen her for four years. It felt good. When she first saw me, my grandma cried, and I almost started to cry, too. It was great to see her.” Paredones, Mexico
Senior Jesus Guillen poses in front of a statue during the Wenatchee High School French trip to both France and Spain.
“I was walking the streets when a man approached me and started talking to me. He said he was from Cuba, and I didn’t want to be rude, so I listened. But then he put a bracelet with a string on my hand and wanted me to pay him five euros for it. I kept telling him I didn’t have any money, I didn’t even want it, but his buddies were behind him and I thought, ‘Oh no, I’m going to get shanked.’ So I gave him two euros, and then he shook my hand and said, ‘Hakuna matata.’ I was really pissed… It was a total scam.” Paris, France.
If interested in joining the French trip in the future, contact French teacher Jon Magnus.
Freshman Kirin Ryles briefly grabs the wheel during a family ride on a sailboat in Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands.
Kirin Ryles, 9: Drove a sailboat
“It was this big 80-foot schooner, one of those three-mast sailboats. We got out into the water, and they let my dad drive first. Then I drove it, but I got so close to an island as we were coming into port that they actually had to put the motor in the water to steer us away. But it was a rare opportunity. At first when you turn the wheel it feels like the boats not moving at all, but then you feel the boat catch in the water. It’s a really cool feeling.” San Juan Islands, Washington
Senior Miles Letts-Brandt takes a photo with the group members of his mission trip in Bogota, Colombia along with their team of native Colombian members.
Miles Letts-Brandt, 12: Mission trip to Colombia
“We went to the Beehive, which was a house that took girls off the streets that were at a high risk for sex trafficking and abuse. The first time we all walked in and there were five girls, and there were only a few of us who could speak Spanish. They barely spoke any English, but right away we ended up having a little dance party in this tiny room with maybe 30 or 40 people there. And that’s when I first noticed how loving these people really were.” Bogota, Colombia
If interested in aiding the Beehive, go to youcaring.com and search “Beehive Fundraiser” for more information.
