Anna Penwell. Mark that name down and get an autograph while you can because that’s a name you will one day see plastered on billboards. Having been at RMA since kindergarten, Anna’s contributions to the school have undoubtedly been seen and heard. An avid “theater kid” since she was five, she started out in “A Christmas Carol.” Since then, her beautiful voice and exceptional acting skills have consistently amazed us. She made her debut at RMA in sixth grade, playing a witch in “Scooby-Doo,” and bringing down the house with her solo, “I Put a Spell on You.” From there, her parts only increased, portraying the Evil Queen in “Ever After,” an emotion in “Schoolhouse Rock,” a green munchkin in “Oz!” Jesus’ disciple in “Godspell,” and Lucy in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown!” Mrs. Whitehurst, the RMA drama teacher and director says, “Anna is the ultimate theater kid- she has great instincts, timing, and loads of talent. She’s also an amazing person and friend.”

Anna’s artistic flair is not just seen at school, but in community theater as well. Over the summer, I had the pleasure to participate in the Imperial Centre’s “Hobbit,” where she portrayed one of Bilbo Baggins’ dwarf friends. Anna absolutely “broke a leg” and nailed her optimistic dwarf persona. Your next chance to see Anna dominate the stage will be next weekend at the Imperial Centre, where she will play Lydia, the spunky youngest Bennet girl, in “Pride and Prejudice.”  

Taking a step away from her stage presence, Anna’s academic achievements make her community and theater involvement even more impressive. Challenging herself with honors and AP classes, Anna has maintained her grades despite outside pressures. Last year, I was able to sit with Anna in AP Modern European History and I can honestly say that it was definitely her “AP Year to Shine.” Another academic experience that Anna was nominated for and attended was Girl State, a summer leadership and citizenship program, where she made tons of fun memories and learned more about how the US government works as she participated in mock elections and produced mock bills.

Perhaps what’s most notable about Anna, aside from her community, theater, and academic involvement, is her sweet personality. Everything from her love for Disney to her addiction to white chocolate makes Anna is a bright, sparkling light in the senior class. She can be found singing anywhere and everywhere, Broadway, Disney, and Taylor Swift song’s alike. Alexis Reams best summarizes Anna’s personality, commenting, “Anna is such a joy in life. She exudes happiness. Her love for Disney and passion for theater draws people to her. She is such a loyal friend and is a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious best friend!” As Anna continues to sing, dance, and smile her way through her senior year, sprinkling drops of sunshine on everyone who comes in contact with her, I am so grateful that, for the past seven years, I have been “Part of [her] World.”

To learn more about Anna, please read the following interview:

1. What colleges are you applying to? Which one do you think you’ll go to as of now? I applied and was accepted into ECU and Catawba. I am leaning more towards ECU because it is close.
2. I know you’ve been in a ton of plays, which one has been your favorite to be a part of and why? I think my favorite would have to be School of Rock at the Imperial Centre because I met some of the most important people in my life during that show. The show itself was just so much fun! On opening night we received a standing ovation before the show was even over, which was one of the greatest feelings because you know they loved it [the show] and because it meant I did my job as an actor (which is what I love).
3. What first got you interested in theater? What first got me into theatre was my brother started doing it when I was really young so I just grew up around theatre. When I got old enough, I started doing it and I have loved it ever since.

   

4. What is one “fun fact” about yourself that few people know? In second grade I broke the bone around my right eye.
5. What Disney character do you most identify with and why? I think I most identify with Ariel because she is fun, outgoing, and she goes for the things she wants, much like me. She never gives up on her goals and what she wants for her future.
6. If you could only sing one Disney song for the rest of your life, which one would you chose and why? This is a hard one, but I would have to say “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” from the Lion King because it is such a great movie and the song is just so upbeat, happy, and fun to sing along too!
7. What has been your favorite memory so far at RMA? My favorite memory so far at RMA would be Godspell because the show was so moving to everyone who saw it, the cast was so close, and it is when Mrs. Whitehurst came!
8. If you could only pick 3 things to eat for the rest of your life, what would they be? The 3 things that I would eat for the rest of my life would be chicken, popcorn, and white chocolate.
9. Who is your hero (who has inspired you to be who you are today)? I would have to say the one person who has inspired me to be who I am today is my mom. I know that it sounds cliché, but I’ve seen her go through different things and she has always been strong, shown me that there is always light at the end of the tunnel,  and that  no matter what happens, love people and your situations.
10. If you could meet your eight-year-old self today, what would you tell her? If I could meet my eight-year old self I would tell her to live everyday like it’s the last (meaning live every day to the fullest) which I do all the time now  and it’s great!