Breaking News
Community News

Teen of the Week: Parkersburg High School senior Caelyn Wise enjoys life on the volleyball court

By Douglass Huxley 5 min read

PARKERSBURG -- Caelyn Wise is an incoming senior at Parkersburg High School where she will serve as the vice president of her class, a member of the Women's Club, will work as an office aide and will be a member of the varsity volleyball team.

"I practically play volleyball year round," Wise said.

She said she is part of a competitive volleyball team out of Ohio that travels to different tournaments and that she has been around volleyball her entire life as all of her older sisters played.

"I was watching high school level play when I was still in middle school," Wise said."I could go and watch them and it would make me better."

Wise said although she's no longer a member of the traveling team she was on she has plans to join another team this year. She said the biggest difference between high school volleyball and competitive travel volleyball is she gets to be a little more relaxed and have fun with the travel team.

"High school ball is you want to win state championships. So, you go in with that attitude," Wise said. "With travel, you go in with the mindset that you want to win, but you also want to have fun."

Wise said her high school team has made it to those state championships the last two years.

"We haven't gotten very far, but we made it there," Wise said. "I plan to be more focused on things this year."

She said it can be very different playing in a state tournament rather than a regular season game as there are up to three games being played at once. She said she enjoys getting to watch the other teams play, though.

"I love watching other teams," Wise said. "I have a lot of friends from other teams so I like to cheer them on."

Wise said her biggest supporter for volleyball was her grandmother, Sharon Ball., who passed away unexpectedly in March, and that they were very close.

"She came to almost every single home game," Wise said. "She was everyone's Gurm, that's what we called her."

Wise said she has three older sisters and that she spends a lot of time at one of their houses with her nieces and nephews, who's ages range from 7 years to 6 months.

"I'm with them all the time," Wise said. "We swim, we go on walks, we like to draw with chalk. That's the big thing they like."

Wise said she's not much of an artist but that she enjoys doing that with them and even paints on her own sometimes to relax. She said her nieces and nephews, who attend Vienna Elementary, are the reason she chose to be a student aide there her junior year. She said she has helped with movie night, bingo night, their open house and even their Field Day.

"The ones outside with the bouncy houses are enjoyable," Wise said. "To just see all the kids running around having fun, and they don't just have to sit there."

Wise said on top of all the other clubs and responsibilities she'll have her senior year she still plans to volunteer her time at Vienna Elementary this year.

"I like to be involved," Wise said about taking so much on. "They were opportunities that were open so I kind of just went for it."

Wise said she doesn't have any definite plans for life after high school yet but that she wants to get into cosmetology.

"I love doing hair, and nails, I always have my nails done," Wise said. "I like the different ways I can do other people's hair, seeing the different styles and textures. I like seeing people's reaction when their hair has been transformed."

Wise said one of the lessons her older sisters have taught her is to be nice to others. She said you can never know what's going on in other people's lives and a pleasant word can make all the difference. She said she was thankful to have older sisters to help her as she came into her freshman year and would advise any incoming freshman to "make new friends, and be happy."

"It's very scary, I know that for a fact, but it's not really as bad when you get in there and make new friends," Wise said. "You won't have classes with your close friends. So, go make friends, be happy, don't be timid to talk to anybody."

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com

***

Caelyn Wise at a Glance:

* Incoming Parkersburg High School Senior

* 4 year member of the PHS Volleyball team

* Senior Women's Club

* Vice President of the class of 2024

* Student Aide at Vienna Elementary

* National Honor Society

* Plays competitive travel volleyball

Starting at /week.