Mariachi Huenachi has been declared the winner of the “Music Inspires” Music in Our Schools Tour contest, receiving a Radio Disney “ARDY” Award and a $5,000 grant from the Give a Note Foundation and the Country Music Awards.

Last month, individuals were able to vote online every day for the two semifinalists in our region: the Grass Valley Elementary School third graders or the Mariachi Huenachi.

“I wasn’t really surprised [about the win] because Mr. (Ramon) Rivera worked very hard; he was was very persistent,” said senior Miguel Cedeno. “There was a lot of effort put in by the Mariachi program to get this.”

The Music in Our Schools Tour will now stop at Wenatchee High School and provide a free concert for the community. The event will last one hour and will include a performance by a Radio Disney artist and a Mariachi performance. Tour stops are scheduled to take place between Feb. 10 and April 22.

“I’m overly excited because we all win. The school wins, everyone wins. We’re excited to have this wonderful show come to Wenatchee,” said Rivera, Mariachi adviser.