The school has many students who take part in various sports within the school, however one student finds herself dancing across the nation outside of school hours. Alyssa Watson is one of few students who take part in the off-campus athletics program for extracurriculars.

“I do off campus because I dance for about four or five hours everyday after school at KJ Dance Studio,” sophomore Alyssa Watson said. “I am very involved in dance throughout the school year. I have classes every night and I perform in shows every couple months. My company is called Teen Elite and there are about 19 people in my division.”

During the summer she auditions for a higher position within the studio.

“There are about two weeks where I go to the studio everyday for almost eight hours a day,” Alyssa Watson said. “I try my best and three days after auditions are complete, we find out which team we made and will be competing with all year.”

She travels often for conventions to gain the maximum skill level available to her.

“This summer I went to a national dance convention in New York for five days,” Alyssa Watson said. The classes are all day long and at night we compete. We compete against different studios from all over the country. It was a really great experience and I am grateful I got the chance to be a part of those classes.”

Her typical week consists of late nights and long hours at the studio.

“Our family is very invested in her dancing and we do all we can to support her in her efforts to continue dance as a career,” mother Alicia Watson said.

Watson hopes to continue dance as a possible career and in college.

“I want to pursue teaching as my overall career, but I am definitely looking to minor in dance,” Alyssa Watson said. “I love using dance as an outlet for all my energy at the end of long school days.

With an upcoming performance, she has to prepare for long nights and rehearsals.

“To prepare for a performance we have rehearsal every night the week before,” Alyssa Watson said. “Personally, I just try not to think too much about my performance because then I will get nervous. Overall, I think being involved in this extracurricular has helped me gain unforgettable experiences that I am very grateful for.”