Summer doesn’t always equal sunshine and pleasant weather; at least that’s not the only thing freshman Jolie Michaels’s summer consisted of.
As a member of Troop 1238 of the Scouts of America, Michaels participated in a six-day Philmont backpacking trip across New Mexico, called Seven Days, as part of a scouting event. She walked over 80 miles, saw wild bears and experienced turbulent weather.
The biggest thing I had to get used to was the weather,” Michaels said. “It was really hot some days, [and] it hailed on our second day in base [camp], so it was about trying to get used to watching the clouds and thinking, ‘Is it going to rain today?’”
Although Michaels said she and her troop spent about six months preparing for the journey by going on practice hikes and camps, nothing compared to the journey that she would soon embark on.
“We didn’t do anything like our 10-mile days, and because those were mentally rough, I would definitely recommend to anyone doing [the trek] to do more campouts and practices,” she said.
The freshman hopes that by sharing her experience, more people will gain awareness about the program and find the motivation to join.
“It’s a cool program and there are so many troops, but a lot of them are diminishing in numbers,” Michaels said. “It would be better if a lot of people got involved with the program so they can start doing things like going to Philmont.”
Summer is known for its pleasant nights, but Algebra teacher Christina Nguyen’s nights look a little different these days.
This past summer, Nguyen and her husband welcomed the newest addition to their family on May 19: a baby boy. Although being a first-time parent is far from a walk in the park, she said the pleasant moments outweigh the chaos.
“The weirdest thing was not having a concept of day and night anymore,” said Nguyen, a first-time mother. “It was like, ‘Wow, I’m watching the sunrise and sunset with my son every day, [and] everyone else in the world is enjoying their day and night’.”
Amidst the chaos of first-time parenting, the little moments in between are the ones that count.
“I just like to converse with him, tell him about my day, tell him what I’m doing, or just talk to him, and then he starts smiling and making noises like he wants to talk,” she said.
Nguyen is grateful not to have to endure the journey alone, as she is receiving constant support from her family.
“I am so thankful for all the support I had to help me get through it,” Nguyen said. “[My husband’s and my] parents are all retired, so they are super excited to watch their first grandson.”
Nguyen said becoming a mother has not only changed her sleep schedule, but also her perspectives on parents, kids and life as a whole.
“[Now I] just have a bigger appreciation for my own parents, and an overall greater appreciation for life in general,” she said. “It helps me see people more from a parent perspective rather than just like ‘Oh, they’re just my student, but I understand that they’re also someone’s child.”
Junior Cambria Dominguez said that the best things in life are, in fact, free.
After calling the K-Earth 101 radio hotline multiple times in January in hopes of winning tickets to the annual BeachLife music festival in Redondo Beach, she finally struck gold on call number 20.
“I was on my way to my grandparents’ house when I heard on the radio that you could win tickets to a festival,” Dominguez said. “So, I called about 20 times until they finally picked up, and I was on the phone with them for a good half-hour.”
This would be her first time attending the festival, which she said originally caught her interest after she heard about the opportunity on the radio.
“I kept hearing about the festival on the radio and thought it would be awesome to win the tickets, then I called and ended up winning,” she said.
The entire three-day festival experience, which took place May 2-4, lasted from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. every day and was financially covered by the radio station.
“I loved getting my wristband when I first walked in the door and not having to pay, then seeing the K-Earth 101 booth was pretty cool, because I knew that I had gotten the free tickets from them,” the junior said.
The winner was not always this lucky; she had five previous attempts to win free tickets by calling a radio station, but this was her first success.
“I’ve been trying for a full year to win something on the radio, but I thought it was false hope,” she said. “I never thought it would actually happen.”
She received two free entry tickets as her prize: one for herself and another that allowed her to bring her parents and a friend along for the festival, each on different days.
“The most unforgettable part of my entire experience was the memorable connection that I shared with the people I took [with me],” Dominguez said. “I just feel like I had this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of winning these tickets that are worth $1,000 each for the weekend.”
The Fourth of July was not the only thing senior Jake Sueki was celebrating this past summer.
From July 5-9, Sueki and his club volleyball team, Balboa Bay, competed against over 200 teams from across the nation to win one medal and the title of Amateur Athletic Union [AAU] boys national champions. They were part of the second wave of the tournaments’ 17 age group’s open division, the highest of the six AAU divisions for boys volleyball.
“Winning the whole thing was an indescribable experience,” Sueki said. “[It’s] something I’ve been fighting for my whole volleyball career, so actually being able to accomplish it was pretty fulfilling.”
He said the trip to the top was as strenuous as it was rewarding, with its daunting obstacles that, in the end, failed to suppress the team from its success.
“We were in the 6th seed, so we weren’t expected to win,” he said. “ We were against Mountain View, who we’ve lost to three times before in the semifinals each time, so beating them in the finals was a really great feeling.”
Sueki began his involvement in volleyball five years ago, four years of which he spent as libero on the SH varsity boys volleyball team, and he said he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
“There’s still 18’s [national] championship, so I guess competing in that will be the next step, but really, college [volleyball] is what I’m looking at,” Sueki said.
Sunny Hills Principal Craig Weinreich spent his time away from the hill on a nine-day trip to Maui, Hawaii, with his wife and two sons.
“[It was] a good time with my family, especially as my boys were heading back to college,” Weinreich said. “So, we just had that time with the family.”
The principal went the extra mile, besides the other 2,500 miles he flew, to experience the unforgettable sunrise that Haleakalā National Park had to offer.
“It was 38 degrees up there, he said. “It was a little cold, and we had to get up at 3 a.m. to drive up there and beat the sunrise.”
This wasn’t his first time in the Aloha state, but it was his first time visiting the state’s capital. Going from paradise to a principal’s office is no easy switch, but the school year must go on.
“I love Hawaii, I love the vibe and I love the pace and everything there, so it was hard to come back,” Weinreich said.
Sophomore Reagan Williams said it’s never too early to start prepping for college, so that’s exactly what she spent a considerable amount of her summer doing.
The volleyball player received invitations via email to attend college recruitment camps at Arizona State University [ASU], Texas Christian University and Cal State Long Beach over the summer.
“It was interesting just learning different coaching styles that each coach brings to the table,” Williams said, who has been on the SH varsity team since her freshman year.
She said she always had the notion that she would continue her volleyball career in college, but this was one of her first major steps in the process. Each camp lasted 2-3 days and offered opportunities to showcase her skills, while refining them based on advice from coaches.
The volleyball player said each day consisted mostly of playing standard six-on-six games, with about an hour of skill-focused practice in between.
“I learned a lot of new things,” Williams said. “My serving wasn’t always sharp, even from a young age, so when I went to ASU, I was really able to learn new techniques that helped improve my serving and hitting.”
Through her experience, she said her eyes opened to the opportunities and college options available for her when deciding where to continue her volleyball career.
“ASU was my favorite because I really like the coaches, players and just the environment in general,” she said. “I can really see myself in maroon.”
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