![With the AISD rank and GPA discrepancies, some students had significant changes to their stats. College and career counselor Camille Nix worked with students to appeal their college decisions if they got rejected from schools depending on their previous stats before getting updated. Students worked with Nix to update schools on their new stats in order to fully get their appropriate decisions. “Those who already were accepted [won’t be affected], but it could factor in if a student appeals their initial decision,” Principal Andy Baxa said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/53674616658_18d367e00f_o-1200x676.jpg)
![Junior Mia Milicevic practices her forehand at tennis practice with the WJ girls tennis team. “Sometimes I don’t like [tennis] because you’re alone but most of the time, I do like it for that reason because it really is just you out there. I do experience being part of a team at WJ but in tournaments and when I’m playing outside of school, I like that rush when I win a point because I did it all by myself, Milicevic said. (Courtesy Mia Milicevic)](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/c54807e1-6ab6-4b0b-9c65-bfa256bc7587.jpg)
![The Jaguar student section sits down while the girls basketball team plays in the Great Eight game at the Denver Coliseum against Valor Christian High School Feb. 29. Many students who participated in the boys basketball student section prior to the girls basketball game left before half-time. I think it [the student section] plays a huge role because we actually had a decent crowd at a ranch game. I think that was the only time we had like a student section. And the energy was just awesome, varsity pointing and shooting guard Brooke Harding ‘25 said. I dont expect much from them [the Golden Boys] at all. But the fact that they left at the Elite Eight game when they were already there is honestly mind blowing to me.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_7517-e1716250578550-900x1200.jpeg)
![BACKGROUND IN THE BUSINESS: Dressed by junior designer Kaitlyn Gerrie, senior Chamila Muñoz took to the “Dreamland” runway this past weekend. While it was her first time participating in the McCallum fashion show, Muñoz isn’t new to the modeling world.
I modeled here and there when I was a lot younger, maybe five or six [years old] for some jewelry brands and small businesses, but not much in recent years,” Muñoz said.
Muñoz had hoped to participate in last year’s show but couldn’t due to scheduling conflicts. For her senior year, though, she couldn’t let the opportunity pass her by.
“It’s [modeling] something I haven’t done in a while so I was excited to step out of my comfort zone in a way,” Muñoz said. “I always love trying new things and being able to show off designs of my schoolmates is such an honor.”
The preparation process for the show was hectic, leaving the final reveal of Gerrie’s design until days before the show, but the moment Muñoz tried on the outfit, all the stress for both designer and model melted away.
“I didn’t get to try on my outfit until the day before, but the look on Kaitlyn’s face when she saw what she had worked so hard to make actually on a model was just so special,” Muñoz said. “I know it meant so much to her. But then she handed me a blindfold and told me I’d be walking with it on, so that was pretty wild.”
Caption by Francie Wilhelm.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/53535098892_130167352f_o-1200x800.jpg)
On campus, freshman Soho Lee spreads school spirit when flying into the air with her Pep Squad stunt group. Outside of school, Lee reaches even greater heights spinning gracefully across the ice as an avid competitive figure skater.
Lee began skating when she was 6 years old and now competes professionally across the country with Team USA and at Great Park Ice with Team Raf. In 2023, she was named U.S. junior national champion, which has been her greatest achievement so far, according to Lee.
“It’s been amazing witnessing her growth in ice skating,” figure skating teammate Sonia Baram said. “She was such a funny little kid when I first met her. We were both so tiny, and we were just jumping doubles back then. But it was so nice to reconnect with her after a couple years and compete with her.”
With skating being an individual sport, Lee decided to try out for cheer her freshman to experience a team dynamic. Despite their apparent differences, cheerleading and figure skating both help to improve her overall athleticism, according to Lee.
“Skating requires a lot of flexibility for the artistry and spins and so does cheer for stunts, kicks or jumps,” Lee said. “I guess I have an advantage because I’ve been skating for so long, but I didn’t really need to practice those things. I did gymnastics when I was younger for skating, so I had a little bit of tumbling, which helped for cheer tryouts as well.”
However, she began to lose enjoyment in skating when her former rigorous schedule took a toll on her mental health, according to Lee. Now, she only takes four academic classes and practices cheer and skating for two hours each day.
“For skating, there was a time it became a lot like work instead of a sport that I enjoyed because I was homeschooled before for about a year, and mentally, I was so exhausted because I would go to the rink every day and train,” Lee said. “Then when there would be bad days, I would be like ‘Why am I doing this?’”
Now back in public school and managing her stress better, Lee finds that the shift in her schedule has allowed her to improve her skating abilities. With more than enough time to complete her homework, Lee said she can now balance school and her athletic passions successfully. Lee is currently preparing for a selection competition in Milwaukee for the 2024 international season, and she looks forward to cheering for varsity in the upcoming season.
“My favorite thing about Soho is how can set her mind on a goal, and she will do whatever it takes to get it done,” Baram said. “And that’s really helped a lot of people around her to get inspired. She’s so dedicated, and she looks so graceful doing it.”
This story was originally published on Portola Pilot on May 20, 2024.
