Celebration, Exploration, & Connection
What a wonderful summer it has been! Over the past few months, our students have traveled the globe, completed service projects, connected with old friends, and perfected their crafts. In this blog, we’re highlighting a few our students’ summer stories to celebrate their success, achievements, and talent.
Our Stories…
Paulina Alcantara
Southwest
“For my one-year anniversary, Jaiden and I went LA to celebrate for the weekend. We had tons of fun traveling around the LA area. On our last full day, we went to a Dodger game, which was my favorite because I love baseball.”
Trinity Buchanan
Henderson
“Summer was so much fun for me because I got the chance to play against some of the most talented soccer teams in the country. I traveled to North Carolina and Florida and had the opportunity to play for a national championship! We didn’t win our final games, but the most important part about these trips was having fun with my teammates. It was a very busy summer, but it’s an experience that I will never forget.”
Kaylee Bacon
Henderson
“This summer I had the opportunity to attend a humanitarian trip in Kenya. My group and I got to build two classrooms and a bathroom for special needs kids. I am so grateful that I was able to meet these kids and create such a close relationship with them. It was such an amazing opportunity to be able to experience another culture.”
Natalie Dudek
Northwest
“Over summer break I had the opportunity to visit Alaska with my family for my father’s birthday. It was gorgeous there and there was a lot of tasty food. We got to go hiking up in the mountains to see a glacier. We drove a lot and the sky was so clear. Every sunset was so beautiful, and we got to see amazing waterfalls. It was so cold, and the sun never fully set. I remember looking at the time and at 7pm, the sky looked as if it was still noon. We got to see a giant glacier when we rode on this boat and got really close to it. It was freezing but worth it. We also got to see how boats catch a lot of fish and a bunch of animals like otters and sea lions. It was worth it though because the scenery was amazing. It made me want to live in a place like Alaska. We always did something, and I loved every second of our trip.”
Valeria Lama
Henderson
“Art is always an outlet for my emotions. During summer, most of my friends were out of town with family that they couldn’t see in quarantine, and since I had summer courses, it seemed like all my responsibilities were hovering over me like monsters. So, I made a comic about it for my art class. My summer may not have been the most fun, but it certainly taught me to see things differently even when it seems like everything is against you.”
Alyssa Molisee
Henderson
“During summer break, my friends and I took a trip to Florida for about a week. My friend’s mom is a flight attendant for Spirit airlines, so we all got to fly for free. The trip was fun, and our hotel was basically right on the beach. We were always out doing something fun. When the time came to go home our flight was cancelled! Every single Spirit flight was cancelled! So, we hopped on the very last spirit flight that we could possibly go on and flew to Houston hopefully finding a flight from Houston to Vegas. When we landed in Houston, we woke up at 4 in the morning to head to our flight, but when we checked, Spirit airlines was shut down… We were stuck. Buying 5 tickets at last minute was so expensive so we didn’t know what to do. We were officially considered stuck.”
Tessa Spiger
Downtown Henderson
“This summer I went to New Mexico. I stayed at a goat farm. It turns out goats are a lot like dogs. They wagged their tails at me whenever I approached. There were even baby goats I could feed.”
Jade Leanna Supnet
Southwest
“It started as a sweat-inducing afternoon and the sun did not get any dimmer. While dressed formally, the outfit was worth one of my best friends’ Sweet Sixteen party. It was a gathering full of memories and I’ll never fail to remember any of them: the surprise, the food, the people, and the karaoke. I could give credit to each of those aspects, but I really appreciated that final act of the night – karaoke. As soon as I walked into the room, I locked my eyes with the tambourine. It was love at first sight, if that’s even real. Though people mention how the microphones are the major stars of the karaoke room, I’d disagree. I ended up playing it until everyone’s throats were tired of singing. One thing I regret from my relationship with the tambourine is how I did not take great care of myself. Three days later, my left hand developed two bruises from the power of passion (one at the base of my index finger, and one at the base of my thumb). What I’ve learned from this is to not let your bias get in the way of self-care. All jokes aside, this party paved a memorable path for more birthdays in the future.”
Tatiana Turgeon
Northwest
“My summer was filled with a lot of volleyball. It is something I enjoy greatly. For the past year, my club volleyball team has worked so hard to be one of the best teams in the nation. We won a bid to nationals, which is a big deal! While we were at nationals, we ended up getting 3rd. Although third may not sound the best, we placed at nationals, which is a huge accomplishment! My team got third nationally, I will forever cherish this memory!”
Aferdita Vinca
Henderson
“My family and I went to New York for the first time over our summer vacation. We spent three days walking around and taking the Subway all over the city, sightseeing monuments such as the Statue of Liberty, touring Ellis Island, and paying our respects at the 9/11 memorial. We even took a carriage ride around Central Park where many movies where filmed. This was such an amazing trip that I will never forget!”
Harley Lim
Downtown Henderson
“My summer was a blast! Visiting San Diego and Utah has always been something I’ve been interested in. However, this summer my dream turned into a reality, we kicked off summer by taking a trip to San Diego’s Oceanside. My family and I spent our time site seeing and eating great food. After San Diego, we drove to Utah where we were greeted by amazing views and fun activities such as cliff jumping and camping.”
Charlotte Henness
Downtown Henderson
“Over the summer I had an incredible opportunity to meet the Brazil Women’s national soccer team before they competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It was a super cool opportunity that my coach provided for me to do, since he is from Brazil and knows all the coaching staff. My dad, brother, and I were able to go to Nike Headquarters in Portland, Oregon and meet the team. I will never forget this experience, and the players I got to meet. Super blessed to have this opportunity.”
Carolina Cadengo
Northwest
“Over the summer I took a trip with some family friends to Sedona, Arizona. We also visited Jerome, Arizona where we went kayaking and ATV driving. When we went kayaking, we were able to partner up or ride solo but I chose to ride with a partner because it was my first time kayaking! Overall, it was a super fun trip and was definitely an arm workout!”
Madison Russell
Downtown Henderson
“This summer I got the opportunity to go to Cancun! One of my favorite things we did there was visit Chichen Itza where some Mayan ruins are located. It was really cool seeing what I have learned in history classes in real life. It was such a fun trip.”
A Change in Seasons
Although the first day of autumn is September 22nd, Labor Day Weekend has been deemed the unofficial end of summer. While our summer adventures may have come to an end, we at Nevada State High School are excited about everything fall has to offer! Class is back in session, and our calendar is full of exciting new opportunities for our students. From hikes and ice cream socials to career expos and a trip to Zion National Park, great memories will be made this season.
At NSHS, we promote personal and social growth alongside academic success. Check out the complete Fall 2021 social event calendar for Nevada State High School on Moodle HERE.