This month’s Farmer Focus is on junior Olivia Eckroth who is in choir and theater and is a member of National Honor Society (NHS).

SNAPSHOTS

Favorite food: French fries

Favorite dessert: Ice cream

Favorite animal: Dog

Tacos or pizza: Pizza

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?: England

ZOOMING IN

Q: What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

A: “I’m in choir, theater and NHS.”

Q: What made you want to join theater and how long have you been doing it?

A: “I actually started it last year. A lot of choir kids are in theater, so it was kind of a thing I was around a lot. My brother was in theater so I went to every single show he [was in] and I eventually fell in love with it. I was like ‘I want to be in these,’ so I auditioned for a show last year and got in the musical, ‘Addams Family.’ Then I auditioned for the musical ‘Legally Blonde’ this year and got it. I just started actual theater classes, so I’m in theater one right now. My brother inspired me to take that on.”

Q: What was your favorite thing about performing in “The Addams Family?”

A: “I loved it. It was such a community and family. We became a close group. I loved practicing the big numbers with everyone singing and dancing. It was really cool and fun. I learned a lot about myself and what I can do.”

Q: Would you want to pursue acting in the future? Why or why not?

A: “I would consider it. I want to pursue fine arts, that’s for sure. I’m leaning more toward choir, like directing, but I would absolutely consider [acting].”

Q: What is it like being in theater?

A: “It’s such a fun positive environment. Everyone is extroverted except the techs, but they become extroverted. Everyone is very friendly and encouraging. It is such a cool group, you gain a lot of talents. I like the rush of performing. You get excited and proud of the work you put out there.”

Q: How much time does it take up on a daily basis and do you struggle finding time to do other things?

A: “It takes up a lot. During a show, there’s rehearsal after school every day. They get longer and longer. The first few weeks it’s like 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., then it becomes 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and then the week before the show, it is 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. It is very long and very tiring. You still have to come home, do your homework and any other things you have to do. You have to learn how to balance because if you fail, you get kicked out. You have to go to rehearsals and manage your grades. It’s a trial and error thing, you definitely have to learn how to manage your time.”

Q: When did you join NHS and what does it mean to you to be a part of it?

A: “I joined it in the middle of my sophomore year. I was actually recommended for it because of my grades. I looked into it and was like ‘this seems cool,’ so I joined. I like it because it looks good on college applications and I really want to get into a good college. That’s really important to me. It keeps me in line. It makes you try really hard [and] work hard. It’s just another way to push [myself] to do better.”

Q: What have you learned in NHS?

A: “I’ve learned about helping people because we’re required to do community service hours, which I haven’t really done before. Once I started doing them, it felt less like I was forced to and more like I’m enjoying it. I would continue doing it even if I wasn’t in NHS. It taught me how cool it is to help people out and how cool it is to work hard.”

Q: What are the expectations to be in NHS?

A: “You’re expected to keep your grades good, so no failing. You’re expected to not get in trouble of any kind. You’re expected to do a certain amount of service hours every year. It’s kind of a lot, but it [spreads] out over time and you’re expected to keep up with it.”

Q: How do you find out about different places to volunteer at? Which one is your favorite and why?

A: “The sponsors talk about it and the people who have been in it for a while talk about it. You can volunteer at CCA for the food pantry, you can volunteer at a nursing home, the Salvation Army and the library. CCA is my favorite because it’s cool and you get to see these people just trying to live their lives. You get to help them out and talk to them. It’s fun to help people.”

Q: How does it contribute to college applications?

A: “It looks really good. It makes you look involved, [be a] good student and a hard worker. They see that you get good grades, help in the community and contribute. It makes you look like you really try. I think it really helps with college applications.”