From St. Barts to the Belles

From St. Barts to the Belles

From St. Barts to the Belles—Sahara Yaphet’s Inspiring Journey to Become a Highland Belle

When the number 38 flashed on the screen, Sahara Yaphet couldn’t believe it.

She looked again. And again. But she wasn’t dreaming. The computer page revealing the tryout results confirmed it: she’d been chosen to join the Highland Belles, Highland Park High School’s nationally renowned drill team.

“I started screaming and crying,” the 16 year old junior said recently as she looked back on that incredible December day during her sophomore year. Her accomplishment ended a personal journey that began as a freshman when she decided to try out, “At Highland Park, they really emphasize pushing oneself.”

But back then, achieving this moment seemed as distant as her Caribbean island home.

Sahara grew up on the French territorial island of St. Barthelemy, or St. Barts, in the French West Indies. Her parents, Albert Yaphet and Jo-Anne Quetel, own a jewelry store on the island known for its beautiful beaches and romantic resorts.

Sahara attended the French public school system on St. Barts,  but classes were only offered through the eighth grade. Sahara and her parents, who are U.S. citizens, always knew high school years would have to be spent somewhere else. Fortunately, her parents had been friends for many years with Aaron and Lori Lloyd and their family in University Park.

With her parents, Sahara first visited the Lloyds when she was in sixth grade. She returned on another trip in the eighth grade and that’s when she attended her first Highland Park High School pep rally. She marveled at the size of the school and the spirit. When the Lloyds asked if she’d like to stay with them and go to HPHS, Sahara said yes.

With freshman year about to start for Sahara at a new school in a new city, Lori urged Sahara to try out for the Belles. “She was coming to the States after living on a small island,” Lori recalls. “Going to a high school of over 2,000 would have been so overwhelming. I wanted her to find a group where she’d fit in.”

“I didn’t really know what it was, to be honest,” Sahara remembers. “I didn’t know it was a dance team that dances for football games., but I love dancing so I thought why not?”

Sahara took jazz and contemporary dance classes in grade school, but no drill. As she started the HPHS Belles prep class she was intimidated, such as when she was asked to perform a Russian, “I have no clue what foot I’m putting first.”

At Belles tryouts as a freshman, Sahara kept an open mind about her chances, but still, when the results came back she said, “It was disappointing. But, I thought, keep at and try harder next time.”

Her renewed effort included her first formal drill training in the spring semester of her freshman year and fall semester her sophomore year.

With try outs approaching, her parents back in St. Barts, cheered her on from afar through Skype every day. “I was there every single morning for her, I was her alarm clock,” Jo-Anne said. “We talked about the day before and what she needed to do that day. This helped her to know that Albert and I were there for her 100 percent.”

When Sahara made the Belles, her father wasn’t surprised, “Sahara has developed more self-confidence and is surer of herself. I was super proud of her.”

Having been in the Belles for a year now, Sahara says she’s learned a lot, “Working so hard on each dance is so worth it when you are at the pep rallies and on the football field performing. I worked so hard for this and I love it.”

The Belles also positively impact her classroom work, “Belles also drives me to make good grades.”

With tryouts approaching once again, Shannon Phillips, Highland Belles Director, says Sahara’s story is SIGNIFICANT for all girls who want to become Belles.

“Sahara is a fantastic example of a dancer with a dream backed by the mental toughness to succeed.  Often times, people think a Belle Hopeful must begin Belles-specific training at a very young age.  While that certainly doesn’t hurt, Sahara wasn’t at all distracted by that presumption.  “She had never danced a step in typical our style prior to entering my Belles Prep class as a freshman and although she didn’t make it her first try, Sahara put her blinders on and went back to work.  I was thrilled to see her dream realized this year,” Phillips said.

Sahara’s advice to new girls trying out is, “You have to love it, not just want it. It’s not just wearing the fringe, you really have to love it. Stay positive and push yourself even when you’re worn out.”

And she said, always remember you are part of a bigger effort, “I’ve learned from being a member of the Belles, if you do not work hard, you are not only letting yourself down, you are letting your teammates down.”

Just one of the many uplifting experiences as a Belle that Sahara’s learned since seeing that 38 blink back at her.