Tremendous Teens

Wichita is filled with talented teens, and many of them use their strengths to make their communities a little brighter, happier, more thought-provoking and interesting. From performing arts to photography, ceramics to culinary arts, teens in Wichita are using their creative pursuits to contribute to their communities. This month, Splurge highlights six stories featuring teen artists. 

The Mayberry Middle School mariachi is made up of students from a variety of musical specialties including group singing, solo singing, band instruments and string instruments. 

MUSIC

Mayberry Middle School Mariachi 

An exploration of culture through music is bringing together students of all interests and backgrounds at Mayberry Middle School. The school started a mariachi several years ago, which has become a draw for students at the school. “[Prospective students] see us out in public performing and they think, ‘Wow, I want to do that, I want to connect with my culture,’ or ‘I want to learn to do that,’ ” said the Mayberry Middle School mariachi director Panya Amphone. 

Mariachi brings together various art forms including theater in the movements, choir with group singing, solo singing, band with the trumpets and flutes and strings with violins and guitars. 

“We’ve got a myriad of different disciplines in one ensemble, and that’s not something that you see every day and something all students can experience,” Amphone said. 

Amphone is inspired by students not only learning about the Mexican culture through mariachi but also reflecting on their own cultures: “We are a guest in the culture — we are here to experience the culture and learn about it and develop an appreciation for an art form and for something with such deep history with a different lens, because it lends itself to a lot of comparisons to our own cultures.”

The Mayberry Middle School mariachi is headlining a concert at Pittsburg State University in October and will also perform at Mayberry on November 19. Since the initiation of the mariachi program at Mayberry Middle School, both Pleasant Valley Middle School and Allison Middle School have created mariachi programs as well.

Elayna Martinez was recognized in her junior year for a tea set she created with Scholastic Art and Writing receiving honorable mention honors.

Axl Lo picked up a camera after an injury kept him off the soccer field — since then, he’s worked his way up to Major League Soccer sidelines.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Axl Lo, Senior at Wichita Southeast High School

When 17-year-old Axl Lo was sidelined from soccer due to an injury, he picked up a camera. 

“I decided to use my camera for fun because my buddies were asking for photos and I didn’t think much about it, but I fell in love with it after one picture in particular,” Lo said. 

Now, the senior at Wichita Southeast High School snaps photos of sporting events all over the state. He photographed the Aftershocks in the TBT Tournament, he’s photographed virtually every high school sport and he’s taken photos at a Sporting KC game. Lo has now become the head soccer photographer for Kansas Sports Central, a company based in Topeka. 

“All of the sports are fun to photograph, but I feel like I’m able to read the soccer game a lot more because it’s easier to predict what will happen and to be in the right position,” Lo said. “I think five steps ahead because of the experience I had in my youth growing up with soccer.” 

As a soccer player and fan, Lo recalls photographing the Sporting KC game as a surreal experience.

“I used to go to the games as a kid and it’s crazy to think that I’m in the same stadium but now I’m on the sideline,” Lo said. “It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life and definitely puts a mark in my memories.” 

Annie Sharp has performed Irish dance for more than a decade, working her way to Craobhghrád — the highest level in the organization she dances in. 

IRISH DANCE

Annie Sharp, Junior at Wichita Collegiate

Annie Sharp has always been a dancer, participating in ballet and tap dance as a child — but when she first saw Irish dance, she was hooked. 

“I saw it and I thought it was super cool and one of my friends who lives down the street from me was doing it,” Sharp said. “I told my mom that I already learned everything in ballet and tap and I was bored, so I wanted to switch over to Irish dance.” 

Sharp has perfected her Irish dance skills for 11 years now, reaching the Craobhghrád level — the elite open championship level and the highest competition level in the Cumann Rince Náisiúnta (CRN) organization. That means, Sharp has excelled through four other levels, learning and perfecting the required dances for each one. Although Sharp has qualified for the World competition several times, she is planning on attending it for the first time this year in Ireland. The junior at Wichita Collegiate credits her instructor, Noreen Northrop with Corry Academy of Irish Dance in Kechi for much of her success and passion in the art form. 

“I’m so happy to see the growth of the younger dancers as well as my own growth, this is definitely part of the reason why I’ve described this community as a family,” Sharp said. “Miss Noreen has fostered that. You may not realize you can do something but she shows you that you have the ability to.” 

For Sharp, Irish dance has also shown her what she can do in life. 

“I’ve learned lots of perseverance, of working hard and the values that come with that and I’ve been able to apply that to my life,” Sharp said. 

Henri Cale-Rondeau fell in love with musical theater, particularly when he portrays interesting characters that resonate with audience members.

THEATER

Henri Cale-Rondeau, Sophomore, Homeschooled

When Henri Cale-Rondeau steps onto a stage, he performs with one main goal — connecting with the audience. 

“I love making the audience laugh, making them shocked. I don’t get a lot of opportunities for dramatic roles, but when I have, I’ve had a very good time with those,” Cale-Rondeau said. 

He recalls the second time he performed in “A Christmas Carol,” starring as Jacob Marley’s ghost, and spooking a child in the audience to tears — a mark of a great performance in the role. Cale-Rondeau has found a deep connection with musical theater in particular, an art form that did not come easy to him. 

“I was initially not very interested by musical theater and I didn’t have any experience with singing and dancing, but then I got the role of Davey in “Newsies” and I was like ‘wow, this is great,’ and since then I’ve loved it,” Cale-Rondeau said. “I think I’d be a way different, less happy person if I didn’t do musical theater.” 

Not only has musical theater pushed Cale-Rondeau out of his comfort zone through his focus on singing and dancing, he has also experienced tremendous growth as a person and a better understanding of the world around him as a result of his time on stage. 

“It’s given me such a wider view of the world, because there are so many different varied writers out there, it’s influenced my own writing and art, I’ve even tried my hand at directing short films with my friends,” Cale-Rondeau said. “That’s what theater has done for me — it has given me more paint on my palette to paint a portrait.” 

ShaMyah Jones has honed her skills in the kitchen at North High School — from finding delicious flavor combinations to plating dishes — and now she hopes to attend culinary school.

CULINARY ARTS

ShaMyah Jones, Senior at Wichita North High School

ShaMyah Jones has always been curious about food. 

“My mom would cook dinner and I would always linger around her and ask so many questions and I was always so interested,” Jones said. “Watching her put flavors together made me want to try it myself.”

Now, Jones is part of the culinary program at Wichita North High School, a hands-on program that is part of the Wichita Public Schools Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum. Jones and her classmates learn cooking techniques, kitchen safety, nutrition, flavors and plating techniques — life skills that also show students a pathway to a career in the culinary industry. 

“It has made me more confident in the kitchen at home,” Jones said. “I cook for my family more now and I’m better at meal planning and not wasting food. It also taught me time management and responsibility.” 

Jones now plans to attend culinary school after high school and hopes to eventually become a private chef. She enjoys cooking pasta dishes, baking desserts like cookies and cakes and making comfort foods like mac and cheese. 

“Culinary arts have taught me that cooking is more than just food — it’s about creativity, culture and bringing people together,” Jones said. “I’m really grateful that I got to learn it in school.”