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Teen of the Week: Martin’s love of dance carries her forward

Jackson Middle School 8th-grader Anna Martin is this week’s Teen of the Week. (Photo by Michael Erb)

VIENNA –Jackson Middle School 8th-grader Anna Martin loves to dance and hopes to make a career of performing on the stage.

Martin trains with the Schrader Youth Ballet Company in Parkersburg and says dance is a huge part of her life.

“I practice about five days a week, about 2-3 hours a day,” she said. “I do classical ballet, and I also like to clog.”

Martin said her future holds other possibilities as well.

“I’ve thought about being a professional dancer, but at the same time I’m interested in maybe being a veterinarian or a scientist, maybe studying animal sciences. I’m looking at going to an Ivy League university.”

Martin has the grades and drive to make that a reality. She is a straight-A student and has received awards from Jackson Middle for her grades and overall grade point average.

Martin is a member of the school’s History Bowl Team, which won at the regional level and competed at the state level. She’s a Golden Horseshoe winner, which is given for knowledge of West Virginia history. Martin was one of the highest scores, if not the highest score, among 8th-graders in Wood County. She also participated in Math Field Day.

Martin is a member of National Junior Honor Society, which has provided several volunteer opportunities, and is a member of the Smoot Theatre Girls Ensemble choir. Martin likes to snow ski, run and swim, though dance doesn’t allow her much time to participate in sports.

“I dance a lot, every week,” she said. “I love the classes, just getting corrected and getting better every day. I love performing, and it’s just a magical experience being on stage.”

Through Schrader, Martin has had the opportunity to perform at festivals and competitions around the state, and this summer she will attend the North Carolina School of the Arts Summer Intensive, a five-week dance program. Martin said she’s received several scholarships which has helped her attend such programs.

She also belongs to the Mountain Rhythm Cloggers, which recently performed at the Strawberry Festival in Buckhannon, W.Va.

Clogging “is difficult, but once you do a lot of it, you get the hang of it and the steps come easier to you,” she said.

Martin said the faculty at Schrader Youth Ballet has helped her grow as a dancer.

“Especially Ms. (Velma) Schrader, my dance teacher,” Martin said. “I did gymnastics in the past, and I had to transition. She really pulled me into dance, and I’m really happy that she did that, because I just love to dance. It’s something I’m really fortunate to be able to do.”

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Do you know an outstanding scholar, volunteer, or civic-minded youth who makes the world a better place? Nominate a teen by emailing editor Christina Myer at cmyer@newsandsentinel.com

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