Jersey Village High School 7600 Solomon Houston, Texas 77040
Peregrine The
Volume 44 Issue 2 December 2015
Dance Marathon raises funds Damaris DeLeon Contributing Writer
IMPACTING OTHERS’ LIVES. “We were at Buffalo Wild wings for “Spirit Night” in honor of the Miracle Network, and every time Buffalo Wild Wings made a sale, they gave 10% of their proceeds to the Miracle Network,” Elizabeth Deitiker, senior, said. Deitiker attended the event with her friend and PALs member, Zahria Powell, senior. Photo by Damaris DeLeon
Crisp air entered the dimly lit Buffalo Wild Wings building as students rushed in and began the long wait for a table. All gathered to support PALs in their efforts to raise funds through a program titled, Dance Marathon, a fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network. The funds will directly fund Texas Children’s Hospital. “This event is commonly done on college campuses and is a huge deal. It’s rarely done on the high school level. We were specifically asked at JV to do it because we were seen in the community as being amazing,” Leslie Wendt, PALs sponsor, said.
This semester alone, PALs sold t shirts, collected change in gold containers belonging to specific teachers, which led to the pieing of multiple staff members, organized a Chuck E. Cheese fundraiser, planned a dance for the end of the year to celebrate the amount of money they raised, as well as partnered with Buffalo Wild Wings on November 21st in order to donate 10% of the bill belonging to those who mentioned they were with Jersey Village High School’s PALs program. All this was done with the intention of donating the money raised to organizations that assist those diagnosed with cancer. “I feel that it’s so great we work to raise money for
Magical Winter Lights
HOPE volunteers discover opportunites at event
cancer. So many people are touched by this disease and it’s unfortunate that the world has yet to find a cure,” Elizabeth Deitiker, senior and twoyear-long PALs member, said. PALs enlisted the help of other school organizations to work with them in the Dance Marathon program. A four hour training was held on November 16 to talk to volunters about how to be successful with the program. Wendt, PALs teacher, continually inspires her students to want to leave their mark on their community. “I’ve learned that I might not be making a huge difference in the world as a whole, but I’m making a large difference in the lives that I’ve touched,” Deitiker said.
Featured Stories
Lin Vu Staff Reporter On November 21st, 2015, HOPE Club, an organization for volunteering around local events volunteered at Magical Winter Lights, a 52-day holiday festival featuring lantern and light sets. HOPE stands for Helping Other People Every day. The members of HOPE Club volunteered with differing jobs at the larger-than-life light festival located at the Sam Houston Race Park. The festival included performances, carnival rides and games as well as food vendors. Allison Nguyen, junior, described the event as calming and elegant. “Volunteering at Magical Winter Lights was enjoyable and relaxing, especially with the diverse cultural structures created by the beautiful lights,” Nguyen said. Nguyen felt volunteering was always a journey and opportunity to discover something new. “Volunteering felt like an exciting adventure, even more so by having friends around to volunteer with,” Nguyen said. Ky Trinh, junior, illustrated
Harry Potter Club Page 2
Ren Fest Page 5
Cancer Survivors Pages 6 & 7 EXCITING VOLUNTEER ADVENTURE. Magic and wonder light up the sky as a beautiful light up garden greets visitors at the entrance to the Magical Winter Lights located at Sam Houston Race Park. Photo by Lin Vu
that volunteering opens doors to aiding others. “It was pretty fun and exciting because I’ve never seen such gorgeous light displays before. I felt great because I got a chance to help people and be part of a big project,” Trinh said. Trinh thought that volunteering at Magical Winter Lights helped open her eyes to the small pieces that create a big event.
“It helped me learn that every big event isn’t built without a small contribution. As I learned everyone’s different background and interacted with them, it helped me grow as a person,” Trinh said. Nguyen saw the volunteering experience as one that gained her valuable skills. “Volunteering benefitted me by not only giving me experience in hospitality and social
skills, but it gave me a chance to meet new people around our area and get closer to the new ones near me,” Nguyen said. Overall, the beautiful array of light displays encaptivated Nguyen, as well as the bonding experience. “My favorite part was the whole experience, including looking at the winter lights and spending time with close friends there,” Nguyen said.
Cars Pages 8 - 9
Sports Page 13 Photos by Mikelle Wood, Juan Torres, Alan Moreno, Joelyn Laughlin