Editor’s Note: This concludes the Press-Banner’s look at the state of activities for teens in the San Lorenzo Valley with a look into the activities made available through the San Lorenzo Valley High School and Middle School.
Though dedicated teen drop-in centers in the San Lorenzo Valley may be a thing of the past, many teenagers in the valley need look no further than their schools for ways to occupy their free time.
With a range of clubs and athletics available, if someone has a mind for it, it’s usually possible to find something entertaining.
“We try hard to meet everyone’s needs,” said Michael Arredondo, San Lorenzo Valley High School’s principal. “Eighty percent of our kids are involved with something here outside the classroom.”
Athletics
Sports make up a major part of the activities for students on campus.
“We have a huge percentage of our kids playing sports,” Arredondo said. “And if they’re not playing sports, they’re watching them.”
SLV High offers students a chance to learn and compete in football, baseball, softball, soccer, water polo, tennis, volleyball, cheerleading, dance, basketball, wrestling, swimming, track and field and cross country — all at no cost to the students, something unique among Santa Cruz County schools.
“Look around the county — except for here, everyone’s pay-to-play,” said Dave Poetzinger, who coaches football in addition to teaching English and the yearbook- journalism class.
“(For many families), it’s a choice between your kid playing three sports or paying a bill — it limits opportunities. I think that’s just a reality across the board.”
Student-athlete uniforms and much of their gear are paid for fully by the Cougar Boosters, a dedicated network of parents and faculty volunteers who raise money by running snack booths during sporting meets and hosting weekly bingo nights, rain or shine.
“It’s phenomenal the kind of support that this community gives to this school,” Arredondo said. “It’s unlike anywhere I’ve ever seen.”
“The Boosters do a great job around here,” Poetzinger added. “I think this is one of the best-parented generations to come through here.”
San Lorenzo Valley Middle School has a similar arrangement for sports, sponsoring soccer, cross country, track and field, wrestling, basketball, volleyball and softball teams.
Athletics at the middle school are free for students to and are funded in part by the Panther Club, which helps defray costs for officials and uniforms by selling concessions through the Panther Pantry at sporting events.
Clubs
For students whose interests lie outside the usual sports, SLV high and middle schools both offer a wide variety of after-school clubs, which vary from academics to the arts.
Jeff Calden, the middle school principal, said his campus is home to a diverse collection of interest groups in the afternoons.
Most are run by teachers, he said, and include an art club, cooking classes, a book club, robotics teams, a yearbook club and free time in the library and computer lab.
But despite the opportunities offered, Calden said, “between 2:20 and 2:30 p.m., two-thirds of our kids are gone.”
“A lot of kids just don’t take advantage of after-school programs,” he said. “For some of them, it’s just not as much fun as hanging out with their friends.”
SLV High also offers several clubs, many of which are student-organized.
Sophomore Ian Sugar, 15, in addition to a full schedule that includes writing for the high school newspaper and competing in the shot put and discus, participates in the Santa Cruz Yacht Club’s Junior Sailing Program.
The team, which includes Sugar and six of his fellow SLV students, meets on weekends to practice sailing techniques and join in races.
He said he plans to continue sailing competitively in college and hopes that while he is still in high school, the sport will gain more visibility.
“No one knows anything about the sailing program here,” Sugar said.
Students can participate on the disc golf club team, which utilizes the disc golf course located behind the high school and middle school campuses.
Jack Tregeser, who coaches the club alongside Nature Academy teacher Carter Milhous, said that the group of 10 boys and two girls is in its second year and has already won a league championship against six local high schools, with prospects for a second title this year.
Tregeser said disc golf is an ideal pastime for teens, because all the courses in Santa Cruz County are free to use, and discs are relatively inexpensive.
“You get a bunch of different people from different backgrounds getting along and playing together,” he said. “For some of the kids, it’s their second or third sport.”
Drama
Theater productions also involve many teens, with multiple productions each year at both the middle and high schools supported by the SLV Drama Boosters.
“I’m a theater kid. That’s all I do,” said junior Louis Kruse, 16. “I participate with All About Theatre — been involved with their last three seasons.”
Kruse, who also acts on the Cabrillo Stage, said he plans to study musical theater in college.
“I feel like a lot of support goes to sports,” he said.
Freshman Madison Loftus, 14, said she, too, is active in theatrical productions, both on campus and off, having played a role in the most recent shows “Pippin” and “Fahrenheit 451.”
“I feel like there’s definitely a lot to do around here,” she said.
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