According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek have just over 500 high school students, most of whom are enrolled at Sedona Red Rock High School. While many appear, sedona red rock news While telling stories for academic and athletic activities, a question many Sedona residents have is, “What do Sedona area teens do when they’re not in school?”

Nick McAtee

Nick McAtee is a senior at SRRHS and said he always does his best to excel in the classroom. McAtee received academic honors multiple times while also taking challenging classes such as Advanced Placement Calculus. But there’s more to Makati than meets the eye.

“I sail, I spearfish, I fish regularly, I backpack, [go] It’s off-road,” McAtee said. “So I do a little bit of boating, and I also do some ice skiing in the winter. I’ve always been an outdoors person.”

McAtee said he thinks mountain biking is the most fun because it allows him to get out of the house and into nature, and it also helps him stay in shape.

“People are the only people you meet while you’re out there,” McAtee said. “You meet some cool people and all you have to do is trail ride. When you hit that jump and get up in the air, it’s a weird feeling that nothing else can replicate.”

Although McAtee is no longer a member of the Sedona School Mountain Bike Club, he still hits his favorite trails when he has time. His favorite trail is the Highline Trail, which he said is one of the longest and toughest trails in Sedona.

McAtee said that while mountain biking is fun, it also comes with challenges, such as pedaling uphill while having to navigate Sedona’s difficult terrain.

ali tedrick

Ali Tedrick, a senior at SRRHS, said that while getting good grades is important, his focus is on sports. Tedrick previously played basketball and ran cross country, but has since taken up pole vaulting on the SRRHS track and field team.

Tedrick has been pole vaulting since his freshman year of high school, but didn’t start competing until his sophomore year. The main reason he chose pole vaulting was because there were fewer participants.

“I have found that I really enjoy this sport and feel that it challenges me in a good way and allows me to continue to grow as a person.” [person] At the same time, it gave me something to focus on,” Tedrick said.

Tedrick said while he has enjoyed his pole vaulting experience so far, not everything went as planned.

“Injuries are probably one of the biggest challenges,” Tedrick said. “It’s a very physical sport and a very injury-prone sport. I’ve had concussions, sprained my ankle, pulled muscles in my arm and back, and fallen off the mat. It happened once.”

Tedrick said these experiences taught him how to be determined and persevere, which he is now able to apply not only to school but also to his home life.

Mele Glat

Mele Glatt, a sophomore, said she studies hard both in and out of school. Currently, Ms. Glatt has a 4.0 grade point average, participates in both the Interact Club and SRRHS Student Council, and serves as class president her sophomore year.

Glatt said she is also very active outside of school, especially ballet. She has been dancing for 10 years and is currently training at Sedona Dance Academy. She said she loves dancing and is excited to be a part of the academy because it gives her a positive environment to dance.

“I love ballet because there are so many things you can do with it,” Glatt said. “And you could say there are different styles of ballet. There’s pointe, where you put on special shoes and lift your toes up, and then there’s flat, where you half stand on your toes.”

Glatt loves ballet because she believes it gives her a safe space to vent all her emotions, whether positive or negative, and because she loves ballet compared to other dance styles. He said that he believes in how creative the choreography and uniqueness of the show is. She added that the physical demands of the art are a challenge, as practicing often leaves you sore and difficult to recover from.

Lotus Flores

Lotus Flores said she is proud to have achieved good grades, mastered the violin and enjoyed artistic activities in her free time.

Flores said she has been dedicated to learning the violin since first grade because she loves it and wants to keep improving.

“I have really fallen in love with this instrument. It is very calming and gives me the skills to work with great care, but it also allows me to be sociable and share my music with others. You’re going to be able to find joy in that,” Flores said.

Flores is currently taking private lessons once a week to improve her skills as a violinist and hopes to continue playing after high school. That being said, mastering the violin is by no means easy and comes with its own set of challenges.

“You have to think that you have to work very carefully on that skill and craft and make sure that things are perfect while you are playing,” Flores said. “But I think working with other people can be difficult at times, but overall I think it’s worth it because we’re building something so great.”

Jonas Lerman is an intern and senior at Sedona Red Rock High School whose work is funded by grants from the Arizona Media Association and the Arizona Local News Foundation.