Remarkable Royals
Remarkable Royals
WOODCREST CHRISTIAN ROYALS CHASING THEIR DREAMS
Our Royals have exciting and interesting endeavors both on and off campus. Meet 10 remarkable students pursuing their passions, achieving their goals, and looking forward to their futures.
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LOGAN HOFSCHROER – Eighth Grader
It’s not every day that you get asked to sing at the Grand Ole Opry. When Logan was invited to be part of a youth ensemble to open a show at the world famous country music venue in Nashville, he jumped at the chance. The group of 18 students sang O Come, O Come, Emmanuel for the show, which featured an adult choir of 100 people, a 60-piece orchestra, and 21 different artists. Singing in front of an audience of 4,000 people is something Logan will never forget. “It felt special to be part of something so historic. It was awesome backstage seeing how everything worked and meeting some famous people,” he says. With his love of music, playing guitar and singing in the school worship band, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Logan up on the Grand Ole Opry stage later on in life again!
CALEB THOMPSON – Class of 2024
As a child of deaf adults, also known as a CODA, Caleb has a unique perspective which has influenced his decision to pursue a career as a nurse anesthetist. He was recently accepted into the nursing program at Point Loma Nazarene University and received a cumulative $100,000 scholarship. “Having deaf parents has taught me to be more engaged. If I’m talking to a deaf person, I can’t be doing or listening to other things, I have to see them right here. As I’m going into the nursing field, I have to be one-on-one with the patients. I have to show them that I’m there for them making eye contact and letting them know I’m listening to them the whole time.” Caleb volunteers his time in the deaf community by serving at a summer camp for CODAs and serving as an interpreter. “Over the past few summers, I was the interpreter for a New York Times reporter who is publishing a book about the high school football team at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside,” Caleb says. “I would go to the team’s practices and interpret everything they were saying out on the field for the writer.” Caleb also maintains a heavy load of classes at WCHS taking AP Stats, AP Government, Honors Anatomy and Honors Bible while playing three sports—Varsity Flag Football, Varsity Boys Basketball, Varsity Boys Baseball—and potentially a fourth sport with Track & Field.
SALLY GFELLER – Class of 2025
In the top tier of her class—taking four AP courses plus Honors Spanish and Advanced Bible— Sally’s dedication to school goes without saying. Nevertheless, she still manages to find time to serve others and fulfill her love of ballet. Sally is an accomplished ballerina dancing since she was three years old and spending upwards of 24 hours per week at the dance studio. Over the past summer, she traveled to Sun Valley Ballet for an Intensive to dance with the Dutch National Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet. This December marks her 11th season performing in The Nutcracker at Landis Auditorium. She has served on Student Council since her freshman year, and since seventh grade she has regularly served over 120 hours per year in the community with the National Charity League.
RYLEE CUMMINS – Seventh Grader
In her fifth year of Acro—a fusion of acrobatic skills, gymnastics, tumbling and choreography—Rylee spends upwards of 15 hours per week training. She recently traveled to Colombia to compete as a Junior Elite Athlete on the U.S. National team at the Acrobatic Gymnastics Pan American Championship. Taking home 1st place in the age 12-18 Mixed Pairs division in Balance and 1st place in Dynamic, Rylee and her Acro partner also claimed Gold in the All Around. Rylee says, “I love that it requires partnership. It’s a lot of hard work, and you see things that you think you could never do, like flipping and tumbling, and then you’re able to do it and it feels so cool.”
ETHAN KELL – Class of 2025
It’s no joke that Ethan was kicking a ball before he could walk. “My dad was a high school soccer coach so I was shagging balls and shooting around from the time I can remember. I was three years old on my first soccer team.” Now in his junior year, Ethan is goalkeeper for the U-17 Los Angeles Football Club Academy Team, a professional pathway for elite players with the potential to become a Homegrown Player for LAFC. Still deciding between playing professionally at age 18 or playing college competitively first, Ethan is heading into his senior year with a full plate of schoolwork along with an intense training and travel schedule with the team. Through the pressure, Ethan says he and his family make sure to put faith over soccer. “We put a focus on church and Wednesday night youth group. If I have training on Sunday, we often don’t go and go to church instead, or we try to get back early from games and go to church on Saturday nights when we can. It’s definitely about choosing faith over soccer more.”
GRACE VAN HAASTER – Class of 2024
Grace has set her sights on being in the military, and it’s only a matter of time. She has seen first-hand the positive influence the military has brought about in her two older brothers who have experienced various military academies. “I like knowing I’m going to gain incredible experience and develop character traits that won’t just benefit me, but benefit everyone I have contact with. We have great privileges in our country, and I want to be part of sustaining that for future generations,” she says. In her senior year, Grace has mastered taking four AP classes and spending countless hours practicing the flute which she plays in the school band, also while being part of the first CIF win on the Varsity Girls Tennis team. Most of all this year, Grace shares she’s learned to rely on the Lord. “I have no idea where my life’s going to go at this point. This year trusting God has been a big thing,” she says. “I know that God has a plan for my life, and I’m going to be doing great things for His kingdom as long as I align my vision with His will.”
HANNAH KIM – Fourth Grader
Though only in fourth grade, Hannah has found a talent and passion for figure skating. Hannah was introduced to skating when she was just seven years old as a way to do something active during the pandemic. “Right from the start, she loved skating,” says Hannah’s mom, Sandy. “We tried introducing her to soccer and volleyball, but it was skating that she asked to keep doing.” Now Hannah practices between 20 and 24 hours per week while also playing piano and violin. In the last year, Hannah won first place at two competitions and took third place at the 2023 Golden West Championships, a singles and pairs competition that is part of the U.S. Figure Skating’s National Qualifying Series. Currently, Hannah is learning to master figure skating’s double axel, a difficult 2.5 rotation jump. With a love of the sport at such a young age, it will be exciting to see where Hannah goes in the world of figure skating.
EYAN TURK – Class of 2025
Eyan Turk has been running competitively since the third grade. In November of 2023, he won the Cross Country Division 5 CIF State Championship with a personal record time of 14:59 for the 5k run. His dedication to running and to his faith are evident in the way he returns the glory of his wins to the Lord. Eyan enjoys the time spent with his cross country teammates and says they help to motivate and encourage him. He says, “Being surrounded by others who know Christ helps me grow in my faith. I appreciate having those who can help sharpen me.”
JULIANA GIRGUIS – Class of 2025, GABRIELLA GIRGUIS – Class of 2027
Sisters Juliana and Ella discovered a love for missions when they spent two weeks in Africa this past summer on a missions trip. Serving in Maseno, a town located in Kenya, the girls experienced evangelism in a life-changing way as they shared the Gospel house-to-house. “We came back on fire for the Lord,” says Ella. “Going out and evangelizing strengthens your faith,” says Juliana, “and I’m not afraid to share my faith anymore. It just shows how the Lord can transform you.”
SHANTE ZHOU – Class of 2024
The year 2022 held some momentous events for Shante in his relationship with the Lord, his family, and a new business venture. “I was kind of a lukewarm Christian until my sophomore year when I really solidified my belief. I went to my Bible teacher, Mr. Logan, and he had a really big impact on me. Also, my mom joined a discipleship group while doing her Ph.D. studies at La Sierra University, and she became a Christian.” That was also the year Shante and two friends started a software company for social media management and mobile app design. “I was a minor at the time, so my mom had to incorporate the business for us,” he says. In November 2023, Shante’s software was picked up by AppSumo, a boon for the business. “They have an affiliate program and they select one percent of the people that apply, and we got it!” he exclaims. This is definitely just the beginning of business endeavors for Shante, who plans to pursue a degree in economics.
