Sophomore Alex Sale previously attended Happy Valley Elementary and Happy Valley Middle School before choosing to go to La Salle for high school. “I just saw a lot of better education here and more opportunities for growth and challenging my knowledge,” he said.

Though it’s only his second year in high school, Sale is taking multiple advanced classes, including Honors English II, AP Calculus AB, and Honors Chemistry. While juggling all of these difficult classes, Sale tries to focus on one thing at a time and makes sure to give himself plenty of breaks.

Spanish 2 is Sale’s favorite class because there’s always room for growth and improvement. “It’s cool to see how much I’ve learned in another language,” he said. Sale’s current Spanish teacher, Ms. Lisa Moran, has had a positive impact on his experience of learning another language. “I don’t have to worry about tests in her class because of how well she teaches the course,” he said.

Aside from his busy school life, Sale enjoys playing soccer and volleyball, and is going to try out for the tennis team this year. He has been playing soccer for a total of 12 years, and he has played volleyball for two years recreationally. 

For Sale, soccer is serious; “I just love playing the game,” he said. On the other hand, he likes to play volleyball because he gets to mess around and doesn’t have to worry too much about making mistakes compared to his soccer experience. Though he enjoys playing both of these sports, Sale is not looking to play either of these sports in college.

Sale’s love for soccer isn’t limited to just playing, as he also admires being able to watch the sport. His favorite soccer teams are the Portland Timbers and the Portland Thorns.

While Sale is unsure of what colleges he may want to attend in the future, the thought of going to a college in a city is appealing to him because “it’s cool to be a part of a bigger community,” he said.

Sale identified engineering and business as his top two career interests. Engineering offers an opportunity for Sale to utilize his passion for math, and business techniques and strategies have always been of particular interest to him.

One of Sale’s main goals that he hopes to accomplish by the time he graduates is to become a stronger writer. By taking Honors English II, Sale pushes himself to improve and expand his voice through writing. “As long as I keep challenging myself in those areas, then I can grow [as a writer],” he said. 

Sale also wishes to enhance his public speaking skills, which he practices during his in-class presentations.

In the past, Sale used to focus more on wanting good grades, but he received advice that has helped him lessen the stress of needing good grades and focus more on taking in the information he learns in his classes. “I started to value the learning behind my classes and the growth that happens [from them],” he said.

Being able to balance school and life outside of school has been a top priority for Sale. Some advice that he would give the incoming freshmen is to “work hard, but make sure to have a work/life balance and not sacrifice their well-being for school,” Sale said.