A West 7th grader is the Student Council Vice President, a part of NJHS, and is going to Europe for band?!

Riley Sanch is a West 7th grader who is in many extracurricular activities. Riley is a flutist in band and takes part in many extra activities. One thing she does is compete in the Solo & Ensemble Festival. Solo and Ensemble is a band competition where you pick a music piece to play in front of professional players who will give you a rating on your performance and advice on how to improve “I got two ones for a duet and a solo. (1 being the best, 5 being worst)  Also, you get ratings for your tone quality, tonguing, etc, which I got all A’s for. (An “A” is the best, an “F” is the worst.)” said Riley. Mrs. Farmer, West’s band teacher, has had Riley in her class for a couple of years.  “It takes nerves of steel to participate in the competition” according to Mrs. Farmer.

Riley will be attending Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp this summer.  Blue Lake provides a place for students to improve their music skills with others who share the same interests.  Riley auditioned for Blue Lake, which earned her an international scholarship.  The scholarship gives extra money off tuition and the chance for a European tour to perform concerts in various communities.  Riley will be headed to Europe right after school ends.   Mrs. Farmer says she works really hard in band class “Riley is one of those kids who when she tries something, she really puts her heart and soul into it.”

Riley is also a big part of the Student Council, being the school-elected vice president. There have been various fundraisers over the course of the school year and Riley helps a lot with getting people to know about it. Mrs. Rieboldt, West’s counselor for names L-Z is also the Student Council Adviser so she works a lot with Riley. “Riley has helped organize many aspects of student council that have helped foster community among our students, such as Cereal Drive, Canned Food Drive, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Fundraiser, and more,” says Mrs. Rieboldt. 

Riley is also a part of the NJHS, which if you didn’t know is a club where you submit an application to join, and then if you are accepted, do different things to help our community. Part of being in NJHS is completing community service and tutoring hours and completing a book report. Riley is also helping out at the 5th-grade orientation, representing band for the students who will soon arrive at West. 

In addition to her musical activities, Riley enjoys sports. She currently plays basketball, soccer, volleyball, cross country, and just recently joined the West’s track team.

You might be wondering how she has time to do schoolwork, hang out with friends, or just relax. Riley stated, “It doesn’t leave as much time to hang out with my friends as I would like but it makes the time with them more special.”  Riley also says that she still can get good grades but she just needs to be more proactive about getting work done.