Darren Contreras, center front, stepped up as the first boy on the Bend High dance team and helped the team make it to the state competition.

When Darren Contreras graduates from Bend High School in June, he’ll leave behind a legacy.

That legacy may not be as flashy as winning a sports championship or earning an outrageously high GPA, but it is nonetheless a significant feat.

Darren is the first boy to be a member of the school dance team.

“It’s cool to be an inspiration for younger kids,” Darren said. “It feels really awesome to be breaking boundaries for others.”

Dancing since he was just 3 years old, he practically grew up in the dance studio that his mother owned in Bend.

Right alongside learning how to write in cursive and how to ride a bike, Darren was learning tap, jazz, Irish and contemporary dancing.

“Dance for me has always been a way to get away from the world,” Darren said. “If I’m having a bad day, I can just dance. Feeling the music always makes me feel better.”

Despite Darren’s love of dance, he had no intention of ever joining Bend High’s dance team. It was considered a girls’ sport, and while he loved to dance, he didn’t see it as a real option. But when the team needed another dancer for its fall performance during Darren’s freshman year, he was asked by his studio dance instructor to step in.

He said he was nervous at first, but the excitement about performing and being part of a team of dancers outweighed the jitters.

“It was nerve-racking to think what my peers would think of it,” Darren said. “But, it was exciting too.”

After the fall performance went so well, Darren was asked to join the team permanently. He hasn’t looked back.

Darren has danced in dozens of the team’s performances, and helped take them to the state competition for the past three years.

He’s even paved the way for others to join the team. This past year, a sophomore boy, inspired by Darren, tried out for the team.

Darren’s spirit hasn’t been lost on students and teachers at Bend High. Recently, he was awarded the “Risk Taker” award by the school administration. It was one of five awards given out to the school’s seniors to recognize exemplary traits.

“He’s really talented and willing to challenge himself,” Casie Bullock, Darren’s international baccalaureate chemistry teacher, said. “He’s not at all afraid to be wrong or different.”

This spirit isn’t just limited to the dance floor either. Darren is a talented cello player, and the principal cello in Bend High’s orchestra.

In addition, he’s a student who likes to challenge himself academically. In addition to being in the school’s international baccalaureate program, he maintains a 4.0 GPA.

When Darren isn’t studying hard or working hard in the dance studio, he spends his time volunteering. He has been a Boy Scout since fourth grade, and this past year he completed his Eagle Scout project by building a supply shed for Saving Grace. The small shed replaced one that was falling apart.

“The old shed one was rusted and had beehives in it,” Darren said. “Supplies stored there would get wet when it rained. It feels good to know that their supplies are safe and it’s a nicer place for them now.”

Darren has applied to several schools for college next year, with his top choices Stanford University and Chapman University. He’s planning to study chemistry, and wants to become a neurologist one day.

“He’s all about growth and pushing himself.” Bullock said. “He’s not afraid to be himself and to try new things.”