Larson Newspapers and the Sedona Red Rock News are proud to award this year’s journalism scholarship to Sedona Red Rock High School senior Emma Keider.

Set to graduate Wednesday, May 18, Keider will be majoring in journalism and minoring in business at Northern Arizona University, this fall.

“I have had the great fortune of watching Emma perform in her leadership duties during her tenure on staff as co-editor-in-chief of The Sting and as editor-in-chief of our literary magazine, Petroglyphs, and have seen her develop work-based learning skills in my keyboarding and computer applications class,” SRRHS journalism teacher Maureen Barton said.

As co-editor-in-chief, Keider works closely with the other editors to get The Sting edited, laid out and to press on time. She said the post has taught her how to lead people, how to motivate staff, manage her time and keep the calm in a newsroom, which is increasingly difficult as staff approaches deadline.

“She works well under pressure, handles multiple tasks and meets deadlines, all while balancing her commitments and maintaining her integrity,” Barton said.

“I’m proud of what we have accomplished,” Keider said in an interview Thursday, May 12.

The NEWS publishes The Sting for the school, so whenever there is a last-minute question or a problem with a page upload, Larson Newspapers Production Supervisor Brenda Steves can rely on Keider to provide a quick answer or a new upload, making sure the students’ newspaper goes to press on time.

“She was professional, she rose to the challenge of correcting the issues that arose in preproduction of The Sting,” Steves said. “She was engaging  and always a delight to work with.”

Keider also took it upon herself to come into Larson Newspapers’ newsroom to learn how to make adjustments to optimize The Sting’s color for the press so photos jump off the page.

Keider will be getting a head start in college when she goes to NAU on Wednesday, June 1, to participate in the five-week Successful Transition and Academic Readiness program, designed for first-generation college students.

By the end of the summer and before her freshman year, Keider will  already have earned six credits in Review Writing, English 110, and six credits in Public Speaking, Communication 100.
Keider began working for The Sting, the SRRHS newspaper, in her freshman year of high school.

Her first article in The Sting was a news story about National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, explaining to students how his actions affected their online and cellular phone privacy.

Keider also regularly writes for Scorpion Shoutout, the weekly student column in the NEWS, her first one four years ago being about “embracing your freshman year.”

“She is proficient in industry standard, state-of-the-art equipment and programs, and she manages every level of her duties and responsibilities — business practices, critical thinking, problem solving and team building skills — beautifully,” Barton said.

“She is honest and honorable, and I feel these traits, along with her deep compassion for bettering our society and connectivity with her own personal goals of making a difference summarize the magnitude of her scope and worth, both personally and professionally.”

In addition to the NEWS’ $500 scholarship, Keider also earned the Lumberjack Scholarship from NAU, $500 from Jonathan Burgueno, $250 from Stewart Title and $1,000 from the Sedona Lions Club, years after working with the club’s Greyhound Rescue Group. She said that working with nonprofits is very rewarding.

Aside from editing, layout and design of The Sting, Keider writes music reviews regularly for the newspaper and her own WordPress blog, “The Turntable Reviews.”

“She could never live without music and sharing it on her blog,” Barton said. “I cannot wait to read her music reviews in print over the next decade.”

Aside from numerous acts she’s seen in concert, she recently traveled to Los Angeles with her parents and friend Natalie Monge to see her favorite band, Catfish and the Bottlemen, an English indie rock foursome from Llandudno, Wales.

The weekend after she returned, she began working on a self-published 55-page book, putting the band’s lyrics alongside photos and sent copies of the project to the band through its manager.

“As I have written, stated and professed numerous times over the four years I have had Emma on staff and in class, she is exceptional. Brilliant. Beautiful. Exemplary. Exceptional,” Barton said. “A true-blue wonderful being who will soar to great heights and deserves everything good in this world.”