Alex Edgerton (left) performing with the playmakers in Surge. Photo Credit: Watauga Yearbook
Carrie Bradbury, Staff Writer to The Powderhorn
As a member of Watauga High School’s Playmakers group, Alex Edgerton felt it was important to cover Hurricane Helene through the play production of Surge. Her experiences out of school fueled her ambition to be a key role in the production. A senior at the high school, Edgerton continues to be actively involved with clubs and the arts department at the school, while also balancing her time for family and friends.
“Throughout the weeks, I met people and saw the amount of devastation that had been brought about, but also the community that came through despite that,” said Edgerton. “This is what personally drew me to want to pivot our story to be focused on the experiences I had gone through and seen.”
This was not the first time Edgerton had been inspired to be a part of something special through her involvement in the school’s theater group, the Playmakers.
“There's something incredibly unifying about putting in your time and effort with other people to make a show come to fruition, and that process from beginning to end has become something that I truly value being able to be a part of,” Edgerton explained.
Playmakers is just one example of Edgerton's enthusiasm and dedication to community activities.
“Trailblazers and Mountain Alliance are the two clubs I am most heavily involved in, so if there is a trip or service opportunity, they are the two clubs that I will most actively prioritize participation in,” said Edgerton.
Balancing time is no easy feat for any high school student, but Edgerton has all but cracked the code. She takes advantage of the club meetings in the morning before school, and prioritizes her time in afternoons and weekends for activities with her family and friends.
“The one thing that makes it easy to manage my time between clubs is the fact that I can still attend most meetings for clubs because they very often meet on different days of the week,” said Edgerton. “So while I have to prioritize active engagement between clubs, most of the time I can still consistently attend meetings.”
As high schoolers add more time commitments to their workload, stress often comes with the addition of new activities. Dealing with stress is difficult for every student, including Edgerton.
“The first thing I would recommend is trying to fit in a little bit of time for yourself every day,” said Edgerton. “It seems super counterintuitive and can seem super hard to do that when you have a super full plate, but I have found that personally, when I dedicate even 20 minutes of my day to an activity I enjoy, I feel less intimidated by the tasks and workload that come with a packed schedule.”
Edgerton has found that organizing and mapping out her schoolwork, theater practice, clubs, and social life is a helpful tool for success.
“It seems a little silly, but I have found that when I can actively see everything I have going on within the week written out in a physical form, it not only helps me know what I have going on in a week, but it can help me visibly see when I have time to add more things to my schedule, and when I need to take a step back and not do something,” explained Edgerton.
Edgerton is a supportive role model for current or soon-to-be high school students learning how to manage a challenging schedule. With the ideal balance of work and fun, Edgerton enjoys the activities that fill her schedule.
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