Teen of the Week: Parkersburg High School graduate Kiki Staats loves socializing and helping others | News, Sports, Jobs

Kiki Staats in her cap and gown in front of Parkersburg High School. Staats will attend West Virginia University in the fall where she will study sport and exercise physiology with a minor in athletic training. (Photo provided)

PARKERSBURG — Recent Parkersburg High School graduate Kiki Staats said she would describe herself as a people person.

“I am a great sociable person. I will be with people all day. » said Staats. “Encourage my teammates or my friends. I love just being there, being there to help them find their stuff after their race and just having that bond of friendship. … It's pretty hard not to enjoy being with the people around us.

Staats uses this enthusiasm to help others and be with people in her various extracurricular activities such as a vocational co-op program, track, choir, National Honor Society and cheerleading.

She said she has been cheering for 13 years and got her start in gymnastics.

“It's surprising to think because you go from a little kid loving gymnastics and dancing, and loving I can do it, to a sport that basically involves all of that,” » said Staats. “So I feel like that’s something that I really enjoyed in joy. I have to do all the aspects that I already have to do with gymnastics and dance.

Kiki Staats cheers during a Parkersburg High School basketball game during senior night. Staats said she has been cheering since she was 4 years old and enjoys the friendships she has made with her classmates and coaches. (Photo provided)

She said she values ​​the friendships she has created with her cheerleaders and coaches and considers them family.

“I talked to them daily, 24/7.” » said Staats. “I just enjoy having that little family connection. I think that’s the best part of joy.

She said one of her favorite memories was when their bus broke down on their way to a basketball game. She said the group made the most of it by filming TikTok videos together.

“It’s fun to experience this together because it’s so vivid and so easy to remember because it doesn’t happen very often,” » said Staats. “But it's still fun to enjoy the bond we have, like I've seen all these videos of us messing around in the middle of nowhere at this random gas station, just enjoying our time together. “

She said she also enjoyed the time she spent with her classmates during her run in a cappella and chamber choir at PHS.

Kiki Staats poses for a photo with Xander, her Siberian Husky/Pomeranian mix dog. (Photo provided)

“It’s something fun. And as with joy, you can make good friends with it.” » said Staats. “And I think, especially with PHS a cappella, there’s a tradition there, there’s so much history, that it’s hard not to want to do it.”

She said she started choir in fourth grade and enjoyed the harmonizing effect of blending voices and discovering beauty in the combined sound.

“I love watching our videos and thinking, oh my God, we sound really good. There are several different people and we all come together and make beautiful noise,” » said Staats. “We all get together and sing together. I think it's really cool that people can experience that.

This alignment helped the a cappella team achieve first place gold at this year's competition in New York. The chamber choir also finished with a gold rating, but only came second. Staats said she was disappointed with second place but was proud of the school's accomplishments. She said her favorite competition was her sophomore year in Nashville.

“I’m a huge fan of country music. So I feel like this definitely leans into that a little bit. » said Staats.

Kiki Staats poses in her graduation gown showing off a West Virginia University cheer shirt. Staats will be a member of the varsity cheer squad and study sports and exercise physiology with a minor in athletic training. (Photo provided)

She said she also had the opportunity to visit a number of historic sites in Nashville, including the home and grave of Alexander Hamilton.

“I am a very historical person” » said Staats. “So I like learning the history about these new things like oh my God, has this happened in the world? It’s pretty cool.”

Staats will follow her own family history when she heads to West Virginia University in the fall.

“My parents both went there. So I was surrounded by that my whole life growing up,” » said Staats. “I mean, we had season tickets for every football game. I apparently had three months to attend my first game.

She will study sports and exercise physiology with a minor in athletic training. She said personal injuries and connections with athletic trainers were what sparked her professional interests.

Kiki Staats runs the 200 meters at the Huntington Invitational in March. Staats said his favorite events are sprints and relay races. (Photo provided)

“I want to become a sports doctor” » said Staats.

She said she would like to work with the patience of the younger players to get them healthy and back on the field.

“I want to help all children who have been injured in a sport to recover, to get back on their feet as quickly as possible,” » said Staats. “Simply because I feel like it hurts me all the time. It's no fun not knowing what's wrong with you. So, I kind of want to be that person that can fix someone's wounds.

She will also be a member of the WVU cheer squad.

Outside of school, Staats works two jobs as a teaching assistant in a career training program at PHS and Chick-fil-A. She said that when she has free time, she enjoys being with her Siberian Husky-Pomeranian mix dog named Xander, swimming, playing pickleball with friends and reading – especially romance novels.

Kiki Staats, a recent graduate of Parkersburg High School, was involved in cheerleading, track and field, choir, National Honor Society and a vocational cooperative program during her time at the school. She will attend West Virginia University in the fall where she will study sports and exercise physiology with a minor in athletic training. (Photo provided)

“Just experiencing it from someone else’s perspective, I think it’s really cool.” » » said Staats. “I just think it’s so much fun. Like when you can't put down a book. I think it's so fun. You just keep reading and then you look at this time and it's three hours later.

Douglass Huxley can be contacted at [email protected]

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Kiki Staats in her letterman jacket displaying her participation in the Parkersburg High School a cappella choir, cheer squad and track team. (Photo provided)

During an A Cappella trip to New York April 17-21, Kiki Staats, second from right, poses for a photo in Times Square with friends Elliza Towner, Meredith Poole and Aubrey Lantz. (Photo provided)

Kiki Staats, second from left, attends Parkersburg High School's prom this year with friends Meredith Poole, Elliza Towner, Nadia Colombo, Kathryn Lake and Aubrey Lantz. (Photo provided)

Kiki Staats poses with a certificate she received at a banquet in May for being a four-year member of the Parkersburg High School A Cappella Choir and a two-year member of the Chamber Choir. (Photo provided)