If anyone was ever a triple threat, the first, and best, would definitely be Margaret Schlofner. Armed with the title salutatorian, a voice, and red hair, Margaret is one person who cannot and will not be stopped. You may know her as Belle from this year’s production of Beauty and the Beast, or Lady Edwina in the spring play, Sherlock Holmes, but wherever you recognize her from, one thing is undeniable, there is no one quite like her.
It is hard to imagine that she had any time to do her homework–let alone be great at it–what with everything that she does, but she did, and according to her, it was worth it. “I don’t think I missed out on anything” she explained. “Yes, I spent time on school, but it in no way took over my life–I still got to do most of the stuff that every other high schooler does.” In fact, being salutatorian or valedictorian was never her intention.
As a freshman her rank came as a surprise. “When I got my report card first semester freshman year, I saw that I was ranked 3, and I figured I might as well keep it up! So it wasn’t initially a goal, but it became one.” Margaret does have a small piece of advice for freshmen though. “Not doing your homework is an easy way to lose points. The hard work you put in now takes a lot of time but will pay off.” And you can take her word for it.
Never being one for the easy way, however, Margaret makes sure her free time is next to nonexistent. Margaret is proud to say that she has participated in every single Prairie Ridge production while she has been in attendance. Sherlock Holmes was her twelfth production (at Prairie Ridge), but it won’t be her last. Next year she will be attending Depaul University to major in Vocal Performance in Opera – you may have seen her in action at this year’s PRAC where she sang opera as her talent. Her ultimate goal/dream is to be “Christine Daae from Phantom of the Opera, or Antonia from the opera, The Tales of Hoffmann,” both of which are formidable goals, but there is no one better to chase them.
Despite her career goals however, Margaret still likes to just be a teenager; be it listening to Ingrid Michaelson and Zee Avi or hanging out with her boyfriend of three years, Nick MacDonald. When asked how she does it all without going insane, she laughs it off, “I think being involved in a lot of things actually helps your time management skills because you have to plan out what you do more. So it wasn’t too bad, just a lot of hard work.”
Margaret is a triple threat though: on top of her academic and vocal talent, she sports a natural talent: red hair. “There’s the classic [ginger joke] of when it’s cold outside, people put their hands on my head ‘to keep warm.’”
The combination makes it a sure thing that graduation will not be the last stage for Margaret, and salutatorian most certainly not the last award she receives.