“...Okay, I don't know if I would say anyone specifically helped me through it, but I feel like Hailey [Miller] definitely helped me through a lot, even though we've had some trouble, but we still find our way back to each other. I would overall say myself. I think I definitely help myself through a lot, just like learning how to deal with my mental health, kind of assisting myself through certain things. And I would say I basically just, like, had to learn by myself how to deal with my mental health. And I wanna say I did that on my own. Like, I definitely chose to learn by myself and do it all by myself. Like, I had a support system but overall it was me managing my own.”

photo & story by Nyjah Rangel

Senior Ethan Laryea

What is the biggest life lesson you were taught and that you use in everyday life?

“Probably like from my dad, was just like 'stay disciplined,' like with everything you do. 
I feel like I do that a lot in life. Because discipline can take you far, you know, even if you don't wanna do something...you still do it, 'cause you know you have to, like it helps build good character and then eventually, it'll carry over when you're an adult..."

photo & story by Nyjah Rangel

(Laryea is accompanied in the photo by freshmenKam Whitcomb and Thomas Patterson)

Describe a moment in your teaching career that made you proud...

“All right, so I don't know that I would say that it made me proud, it made me hopeful. I had a student who was also a student athlete, like I had coached him as well, that was convicted of a felony right after graduation and he was incarcerated. And he wrote me a couple letters and they were on notebook paper that obviously had been opened and in line with the criminal justice system, and they were written in pencil because he wasn't allowed to have a pen. And he wrote me two or three letters about what he had gone through and it was very real. It was literally like opening up these envelopes and it was like something in a movie. But . . . once their sentence was over, I actually saw him a couple times and they went to college. 
They decided to move. They now are extremely, extremely successful. They have their PhD. 
I actually use some of their notes for teaching. And it's just that this person had made a very bad decision [and] they were aware of it. They were aware of how it impacted their life and others.” lives. And they really got out of that cycle and it just makes me very hopeful because I don't know that I would have survived the situation that they were in.”

photo & story by Zianni Houston

“So, I'm gonna go back. My dad passed away in December of 2019 and he had been sick. 
So that Thanksgiving – and I call it the greatest accomplishment of my life, whether or not that is true or not I don't know -- but I was able to have all of my family from out of town, except my one uncle who had his own family coming in, meet here and we did this giant family Thanksgiving, w. Which was just absolutely fantastic, heartwarming and probably the best moment because. . . it was like our last big celebration with him.” 

photo & story by Zianni Houston

  Freshman Livey Simmons has succeeded in track and is planning to keep thriving.“I plan on going to the Olympics,“ she said. Simmons found her talent and skill through her hard work and self discipline. But it did not start out that way. “I felt really bad about myself, because my skills weren't to my expectations. I felt like I could have been way better if I tried harder. I had really bad technique and form…every time I threw the shot my wrists would hurt really bad which increases your chances of injury.” Despite facing some challenges, she still got through it. Her self discipline helped keep her going and break records throughout her middle school years. “My happiest moment was when I broke my own record last year, which was 38 meters.” This year her goal is to beat her last year's record and succeed even more!  

photo & story by Kylie Sladky

   Freshman Bria Robinson is a cheerleader who recently went to states. “It felt like a dream, so unbelievable,” she said. Robinson has been a cheerleader for four years, but this year was her  (and the school’s) first year going to states. “A lot of work was put in,” she said. “It helped a lot with a great team who always put their full effort into everything.” She said the coaches and seniors kept her motivated and inspired, specifically senior. “...Also Mia Perez, because she is a very outgoing person and she's very strong when she performs” Robinson is very excited for the next years to come and more opportunities to rise. 

photo by Addison Mrakovich

story by Kylie Sladky