Jaiyden is a very bubbly and creative 15-year-old student at MHS. This is her first year in the newspaper, and she is very excited to broaden her horizons within writing and work on her conversational skills!
“I was really excited to join the newspaper, because Journalism 1 was my favorite class ever! Although I am a little scared, I’m excited to grow in different aspects, especially with talking! And most importantly, I’m excited to write cool stories!!” said Jaidyn
As a “part two” from her favorite class, Jaiden is ready to dive into work, and she’s already feeling the groove of everything. But the newspaper isn’t the only thing that she’s involved in. She’s also been a competitive dancer for 11 years.
“I really enjoy dancing, especially contemporary! I really like the flow and the raw emotion you feel with it. There are also so many other sub-genres of contemporary, like jazz, lyrical, ballet, so there are endless possibilities.”
With competition season almost catching up, Jaidyn hones her skills daily through intensive practice and strength training. She explains that to perform some of the more complicated moves in dance, they require an ample amount of strength.
“I go through a lot of training before recitals, competitions, and other performances. For months, I have had to memorize the dance and make sure that I can keep up. And also I warm up before I start my stretches, and usually I put on 5 lbs ankle weights to help improve my endurance.”
She is committed to dancing and is willing to put the time, effort, and work into making sure her performances come out stunning.
“Most of the stuff I end up doing is at the studio. And, of course, I do practice at home, but when it’s for group dances, it’s primarily at the studio,” said Jaidyn
After months of tireless preparation, it’s finally the competition season! This time is obviously the most stressful for Jaidyn; she has to be on the move and replicate her dances on the spot. She’s always running around from theatre to theatre, to perform practically every weekend, whether it be her solos, duets, or group dances.
“Days of competition are super stressful; you and your studio wait around for hours until your first dance. And after that, you’re shuffling around backstage, changing your makeup, hair, and costumes too.”
Besides being a dancer on stage, this sweet girl would be a Reese’s peanut butter cup if she were candy.
“I have to open up to get into the best parts of myself.”
After all of that stress, the outcome is nothing short of rewarding. Jaidyn owns a plethora of different plaques, trophies, medals, and ribbons. These merits are all due to her time and effort in perfecting her art. There is no doubt in anyone’s heart that she’ll have that same creativity and work ethic for the newspaper, too.
So welcome to the newspaper, Jaidyn! We’re excited to read what you write!