The list of awards include three Gold Key, five Silver Key and five Certificates of Merit earned by nine students from Lapeer West and one from Lapeer East.Nine students of Lapeer West art teacher Nancy Barry took 12 awards in this year’s regional show. West artists have won National honors in this Scholastics competition 13 times over the years. “Schools are honored to have even a single piece in this juried show,” noted Barry. “The competition is very tough.”
She added, “These students continue to impress me with their dedication and work ethic as well as their talent. To be successful in life these traits are invaluable. The arts connect people more deeply to the world and open them to new ways of seeing as well as improve motivation, concentration and confidence. This is evidenced in the comments from these students. “
The Scholastic art competition is the most rigorous art competition for high school art students. For more than 80 years, students from across the United States have competed in this difficult contest. The Regional show is the first step in what can lead to National recognition. All Gold Key winners go on to compete at the national level. The Gold Key awards will be photographed by professional photographers, and the images will be sent to New York for further competition. If these Gold Key students are award winners at the national level, they travel to New York City to receive their awards onstage at Carnegie Hall.
Barry quotes Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, when she notes: ‘“You can’t outsource creativity.’ These students have skills they can use in their work life. I am glad I had a part in their preparation for life.”
The award-winning artists:
Adrianna Allen is in tenth grade at West. She put three pieces into the show and won three awards. This is her first time entering. Her mom also was a student of Nancy Barry. Adrianna said, “I was surprised to learn that I had won awards in Scholastics, and I am much honored. I worked hard on my pieces, but I did not think that they could compare to the amazing art of other students. It will be exciting to see the other students’ pieces in the show.”
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Kaitlyn Becker is a junior at West. She entered the competition last year and won a Certificate in Drawing.
Kaitlyn said, “The Scholastics art show is a great experience; you get to see the unique work from around the country. You see techniques you may never have seen before.”...........................
Eric Birkle is a West senior. He is also a student in Barry’s Kendall Dual Enrollment College Drawing class. This was his first time in the show. “After putting in as much effort as I did into this project, I am so pleased to have won a Gold Key!” Birkle said. “I was overjoyed when I heard the news. 
This piece was of an antique cash register, from about 1900. This is an era that I really respect, due to the great amount of effort they put into designing and making things look appealing to the eye. I hope and strive to show this through my work.”...........................
Rachael Broecker, a senior at West, won a Silver Key for her drawing of lacrosse players. She spent several hours just drawing the net in the picture. “I worked very hard on this piece so I am really excited to win a Silver Key.”
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Cheryse Burns is a senior at West. She said, “Who wouldn’t be super stoked? I am deeply touched that people
enjoy my art in which I have invested countless hours of focus, frustration and annoying perfectionism.” Cheryse entered a group portrait of herself, her brother and her cousins for which she was awarded a Silver Key. She also entered a charcoal drawing. It, too, won a Silver Key.
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Victoria Hays drew a very detailed drawing of ribbons in spirals. The piece was done in prismacolors and took several weeks of meticulous work to complete. Victoria is a West junior. 
“Though I have worked with prismacolor pencils before, I have never done a piece as challenging and time consuming as this project. Every inch of this project has taken a great amount of focus, dedication and patience. Because of this, it makes me even more proud of the Certificate in Drawing that my piece received.”...........................
Paige Tigner won a Silver Key in her first show. She drew her brother hard at work at his desk. 
Paige had this to say, “I was unsure that this project would even be accepted into the show, let alone receive a Silver Key! So, after spending many hours putting my best effort into every detail, I’m absolutely ecstatic that I’ve been so fortunate.” Paige is a junior at West............................
Emily Prchlik, a junior at West, is interested in fashion design. She made a hat using a felting process. 
Her piece won a Certificate of Merit in the fashion division. “Receiving a certificate in the fashion division has made me more confident in following my dream to become a fashion designer. It feels great to know that my work can be shown with the other students in the Scholastics show, and that my hard work is being recognized.”...........................
Paige Vronch won a Gold Key in Fashion for a dress she created using white garbage bags. 
Paige used the yellow tie section of the trash bags to make a pleated border around the top of the dress. The dress balloons out in layers and flows to the floor. Paige is a senior in the commercial art class at Lapeer West. “When I found out how I did at Scholastics I was surprised. It made me feel like it was possible for me to enter a career in fashion, even though I’m only a senior in high school.”
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Shelbi Davis, an East senior, earned a Certificate of Merit of in the Scholastic art competition 
for her drawing of a young woman fashionably dressed for winter, titled “Wonderous Surprise.” She is a student of Lapeer East High School art teacher Debbie Helbig............................
Paige Vronch and Adrianna Allen also earned special awards for a scholarship for a class at The College for Creative Studies in Detroit.
All of the West students study with Mrs. Barry, who has taught at Lapeer West for 37 years and is also the school’s fine arts chairperson. Barry also teaches classes for Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University after school. Students receive college credit for the classes at a reduced cost. One half of the students who received awards are dual enrolled in these college classes and have already started their college careers.
For another look at the winning art and photos of the artists at work in the classroom, visit the Lapeer Community Schools Picasa photo album at: https://picasaweb.google.com/LapeerCS/LCSScholasticArtAwardWinners2011#
