Parade of Champions strikes again

The sound of whistles and drums echo through the halls of West Chicago Community High School on Thursday, February 29 as band, cheer, and dance gathered in the hallway inside of entrance B in preparation to acknowledge the achievements of athletes Brady Johnson and Jayden Huesca Rodriguez.

The parade was led by drum majors and seniors Owen Thompson, Christina Gou, and Kevin Dorl. Last year, the same two athletes were honored for their achievements at state; Dorl was then assisted by (now alumni) Jack Riconosciuto and Ali Manspeaker. Although there was the complication of a fire alarm, there was no need to evacuate the building on the cold day that was Feb. 29, 2024.

“It was a lot of fun and I definitely think that the students had good energy and vibes! This year I felt more confident with the route and just parading around the school, there wasn’t a fire alarm to disrupt us this year so that’s a plus,” Dorl said.

Marching throughout the halls during den, students stood outside of their classes among peers to congratulate the athletes, listen to the music, and appreciate the schools sense of community.

“It was a very exciting and fun, but got a bit awkward. When the band stopped playing and the athletes walked by, it was pretty quiet,” junior Khashika Narain said.

Dance and cheer seasons ended a few weeks prior, uniforms had already been turned in, but the teams reunited and walked the parade with poms to support the state athletes.

“It was nice to do something with my teammates one last time after the season,” junior Katelyn Columbo, a dancer, said.

The parade was a momentous occassion for the two senior state athletes as well as the band, cheer and dance team seniors. This was the last time that they will participate in an event as a WEGO cheerleader, dancer or band member.

“It was nice to walk and cheer with the cheer team one last time,” senior Lucia Rodriguez said.

About the Contributors

Emily Ziajor, Multimedia Manager

Emily Ziajor is a WEGO senior in her second year of journalism. She attended the National High School Journalism Convention last November, and thoroughly loved the experience. She is a Polish-American (she finished her final year of Polish School in the spring of 2023) with a creative soul and high aspirations. When it comes to writing, she has a sharp imagination, and one of her true passions is photography. Emily is a multi-year member of the AV Club at West Chicago Community High School.

Sasha Baumgartner, Editor-in-Chief

Sasha is a senior, and this is her third year being a part of the Wildcat Chronicle. She found a swift passion for journalism during her sophomore year, learning how to write for fun and in many different ways. She has continued with the paper since 2021. Outside of journalism, Sasha is a member of the WEGO Dance team, a ROAR mentor and a member of National Honors Society and WEGO Global at the high school. Sasha’s main hobbies outside of school include working at a retirement community serving guests in the dining room, spending time with friends and family, and finishing up work for the Wildcat Chronicle. In the future, Sasha plans to attend college for psychology to be able to help people on a daily basis.

Miley Pegg, Senior Reporter

Sophomore Miley Pegg plays guitar and is on the cheer team, but her inspiration for taking Journalism stems from the show “Gilmore Girls”, one of her favorite shows. When she is not busy with school and extracurriculars, she enjoys spending time with her two cats, Squishy and Figgy, both of whom are named after Disney characters, but neither of whom get along. Although a far cry from Stars Hollow, if Miley could live anywhere in the world, she would live in Colorado.

Fernando Calvillo-Morales, Multimedia Content Creator

Senior Fernando Calvillo-Morales has put a lot of his time into clubs and sports including, Rock Climbing Club, the Varsity tennis team, Robotics Team, yearbook, and Compass. Fernando is clearly a leader within the West Chicago community. He has always been very dedicated, and applied himself to being the best he can be. A significant part of Fernando is his humor: most would say he is quite a jokester. He can never fail to make someone laugh and instantly improve their day. Loyalty is also an especially important quality to Fernando, and he is a firm believer in helping others find success. When Fernando is not found drinking chia water, he is listening to NF. His favorite part about NF is his ability to sing and go in-depth about the highs and lows of life, and how to overcome obstacles.

Fernando Arroyo Garcia, Photo Editor

Fernando Arroyo Garcia is a senior who enjoys hanging out with his friends at the gym outside of school. At school, he is involved in AV Club and the newly-formed Drone Club. His favorite shows consist of "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul", though he believes the latter is the better show of the two. His most enjoyable experience over the summer was buying his Canon T6i camera, which he used a lot over the summer.

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