For Dragon Fire Dance student Juliana Suddard, being part of the program is about much more than performing. “Dragon Fire Dance is important to me, especially as a student, because it keeps me committed in school,” Juliana shared. “It can be hard to stay focused with all your classes, but Dragon Fire Dance just really keeps me connected and wanting to come to school because I know I want to pass my classes and want to be in D.F.D., and that’s the whole commitment.”
During the 2025–2026 season, Dragon Fire Dance earned a national championship award, marking the program’s first in nearly 10 years and only the second in its history. “We walked in confident, but we were still kind of scared because we didn’t have really a lot of time with the routines, but we just really tried our hardest and put our best foot on that floor.”
Beyond competition, Juliana said the program has had a lasting impact on who she is becoming. With a culture built on faith, integrity, resilience, and excellence, she reflected that it is “a really good environment to be around, where students grow, build friendships, and leave high school with good morals and just a positive attitude, becoming better people both in and out of the classroom.”