The Pride of Our School: Amelita Reyna

The+Pride+of+Our+School%3A+Amelita+Reyna

You’ve probably seen her around in brief flashes as she hustles back and forth from marching practice to drills; or maybe you’ve seen her in the marching band’s halftime show while donning Pride’s full costume, but to put a name to the face, that is freshman, yes, FRESHMAN, Amelita Reyna. Amelita is a full-time member of Wolf Band and the Pride Dance Team. Later you’ll get a little insight into who she is outside of her extracurriculars, but first, the question I’m sure you’re all asking:

“HOW DO YOU MANAGE?”

Amelita: “Omg, where do I even START.”

But first WE’LL start with some backstory.

She’s been doing both Band and Dance since middle school: In 6th grade, she had Dance as her P.E. credit and Band as her elective, and from 7th-8th grade, she danced for West Briar Middle School’s Dance Company and was placed in Wind Ensemble (Advanced Band). “I do both because they give me life. I’m able to be physically active, contribute to the community as a performer, and be happy. Band is my happy place and Dance is fun and exciting.” So, when auditions for Pride and Marching Band rolled around, there was no doubt about what she’d do: she auditioned for both, and the rest is history.

Now, on how she splits her time between Pride and Marching Band (practice and games), Amelita begins by explaining the minor scheduling conflict that took place over the summer. Both activities hold summer practices for the upcoming football season: Pride’s took place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., while Marching Band’s took place from 7AM to 4PM, so Amelita would stay at Band’s until 9:30 AM, go to Prides’, then return after it ended.

Amelita: “Surprisingly, it went quite smooth.” (Pro tip: you gotta have REAL good communication with both teachers or else things can get messy and ruin your entire week).

“When school started, Pride would normally have morning practices and band after school, so I wouldn’t have time conflicts there.” But on game days, Pride will go to the field to practice their show with Band, so on those days, she stays with Pride during and afterwards. She then follows the dancers inside to clean their dances¹. She spends the first half of football games with Pride and performs with them at halftime, then she grabs her clarinet and sprints back on the field to march with Band. Afterward, she is excused from Pride and plays with Band for the second half. “Needless to say,” she says, “My schedule gets PACKED and that means I sometimes need to make sacrifices and say no to social events.”

10/14/22, WHS (HoCo) vs Heights @Delmar Stadium. Amelita sits with band the 2nd half of the Football Game.

She continues, “My mom helps me BIG TIME when it comes to staying on top of events and we have a big calendar and normally at the end of a weekend we talk about what’ll happen the following week. homework/schoolwork wise, I mainly do the assignments at school or late at night depending on the workload. On those late nights I get some coffee and start on my grind…”

“TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF.”

This was the first set of questions I had for her, and something she thought was imperative for the audience to know was understanding how crucial her support system is for her to function. “I wouldn’t be able to do it without the support of my friends, family, and teachers, Ms. Emert and all of the band directors. They do a lot for me and I’m really grateful for the help and support.”  

Whenever she has free time, she can be found reading, playing video games, watching anime, or chatting with friends. “It’s nice to have lazy hobbies when you’re up and moving all the time, lol!”  While she’s “unsure” of what she’ll do after high school, she has an inclination that it’ll be something in the medical field. “My goal is to be successful in life. I strive for excellence now so I can one day have a high salary for work and have a loving family at home. She adds that she “definitely” wants “at least one pet!” 

“WILL YOU DO THIS NEXT YEAR?”

“Though I’m busy, like, all the time, all these time commitments, good and bad days, and the amount of stuff I have to carry to school sometimes are TOTALLY worth it. The end products are worth all this time, and I couldn’t be happier. I wholeheartedly intend to continue both these next few years.”

She says that October is a peak month for her, but the end of football seasons brings about a calmer schedule, as band practices become shorter in preparation for Concert Season. Amelita Reyna’s dedication and positive philosophy in pursuing her passions is the heart of a future leader, bringing her greater successes and a lasting impact to Westside as a whole.

 

  1. “Cleans dances” – a common term in professional dance, used to describe the process of perfecting dance movements. Interchangeable with the term “polishing dances”.