Western Wayne’s Desire Counterman to be Honored by WVIA for the 2018 Artist Celebration on April 13

WVIA will spotlight visual student artists, including Desiree Counterman from Western Wayne High School, from throughout northeast and central Pennsylvania during the Artist Celebration on Friday, April 13, 2018 at 7 p.m. at Mainstreet Galleries in Kingston, PA. The events are free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served.

The celebration will showcase artwork from the top 11 visual artists from WVIA’s 2017-18 Artist of the Week program. During the events WVIA will announce the Artist of the Year for both Performing and Visual Art, as well as the People’s Choice Awards.

Desiree Counterman from Western Wayne High School has been chosen as one of  the top 11 Visual Artists of the Week whose artwork will be displayed during the Artist Celebration. WVIA’s Artist of the Week and Artist of the Year educational programs are sponsored by The Pennsylvania College of Technology. The 2017-18 Artist of the Week video features can be viewed at http://www.wvia.org/blogs/artist-week/

Desiree, a two year National Art Honor Society member, is very proud of her efforts as a visual artist at Western Wayne High School.  Currently she is working on her senior portfolio which she explains will feature a series of portraits.

“I enjoy painting,” she said.  “People are my favorite subject to paint.  I look for models for my pieces on Pinterest and sometimes I choose famous people to use.”

Western Wayne Administration has recognized sophomore Trina Barcarola as an outstanding student. Trina is an honor roll student who has achieved many accomplishments with Western Wayne’s track team this year. She also is a member of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) along with being a proud member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in Wayne County.

Trina enjoys her academic studies and athletic endeavors at Western Wayne equally. One of her favorite classes is Anatomy. She has a lot of interest in studying the human body.

“I think I find enjoyment in this class because it ties in with how the body works,” Trina explained. “I can connect because I’m so involved athletically in my life.”

This year Trina did extremely well with Western Wayne’s Indoor Track Club. She qualified and participated in the state championships held at Penn State Main Campus.

She placed 12th overall in hurdles and dropped a 10th of a second in the event, therefore, beating her best time.

Also, Trina competed in the New Balance Nationals for indoor pole vaulting at the Armory in New York City. At the competition, she cleared 11 feet, 3 ½ inches.

Trina, who has participated in track at Western Wayne since she was in middle school, feels very proud of all of her accomplishments so far in this sport.

“Throughout my time in the sport, I have developed a mental stability to push myself to my limits,” she said. “I have learned to be comfortable with being uncomfortable because I know the harder I work the better my times will be. Every minute counts.”

Along with pushing herself out of her comfort zone in the sport, Trina, also, really enjoys helping her underclassmen teammates.

“I have learned to help underclassmen,” she explained. “I like to give them constant encouragement.”

When Trina isn’t on the track or in the classroom striving for excellence, she is working on projects for clubs like PJAS and FBLA.

This year Trina is a state qualifier for her PJAS project that centers around the concept of how fabrics affect heat absorption. She is also part of a group in FBLA who will go to the state competition for the Introduction to Business event.

Trina explains that her faith is just as important to her as all of her accomplishments. She is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that is a student led program in which students discuss how their faith ties into sports.

Along with having strong feelings about her faith, Trina also has strong feelings about helping others. She currently is considering physical therapy as a possible career path.

“I want to help people rehabilitate,” Trina explained. “I have a passion for that.”

High School principal Paul Gregorski is proud of all of Trina’s accomplishments as a sophomore and looks forward to what she will achieve in her remaining years at Western Wayne.

“Trina is a role model for our students in many ways,” Gregorski explained. “She truly is making the most of her time at Western Wayne in all areas.”

From left: Ms. Jennifer Bradley, High School assistant principal; Trina Barcarola; and Mr. Paul Gregorski, High School principal.

Due to the weather, the fashion show has been rescheduled to June 6th from 6 – 8 pm in the Veterans Memorial Auditorium at the High School.

$2 for Adults, $1 for Students

ALL proceeds donated to the Wayne County Food Pantry

Western Wayne’s musical theater students performed for the community at the annual Dr.  Seuss night event held at the R.D. Wilson School on Thursday, March 1.  Students performed selections from their upcoming production of the musical comedy Nice Work If You Can Get It that is set in the 1920s and features the music of Gershwin.  Western Wayne will present Nice Work If You Can Get It on Friday, April 27, and Saturday, April 28 at 7 pm., and Sunday, April 29 at 3 p.m. at the newly renovated Veterans Memorial Auditorium at Western Wayne’s High School, 1970A Easton Turnpike, Lake Ariel.  From left, standing:  Samantha Pritzlaff, Marty Spewak, Calla Shaffer, R.J. Clemens, Lily Visceglia, Honour Shaffer, and Sydney Peet.  From left, kneeling:  Victoria Petrosky, Emily Barone, Bridget Oppelt, and Lindsey Karwacki.