Lawrence High School senior Stephanie Drahozal rehearses with the A Cappella Choir on Wednesday at the school. Drahozal, who is involved in choir, orchestra and theater at LHS, has been named the September ArtStar, a new World Company program that recognizes outstanding seniors in the fine arts.

Lawrence High School senior Stephanie Drahozal is the September ArtStar. She has a 4.0 grade-point average, scored a 36 on her ACT, plays the violin, sings in choir and performs in musicals. Ive been singing all my life," she said. "But Ive

If Stephanie Drahozal had her way,

her future office would be a Broadway stage.

She’d spent a typical workday in costumes and makeup, belting out show tunes as the leading lady in “Les Miserables” or “Wicked.”

She knows it’s an ambitious dream, and right now she’s just focused on applying to colleges and forging through her senior year at Lawrence High School.

But she’s getting some on-the-job training nonetheless.

Drahozal sings in her school’s two select choirs – A Cappella and Chorale – and is a violin section leader in the Symphonic and Chamber orchestras.

Last year, she landed a prominent role in the school’s biannual musical, “Hello, Dolly!”

“Stephanie’s portrayal of Irene Molloy, the lonely widow who owns a hat shop, was tender and elegant,” says Cathy Crispino, choral music teacher at LHS. “Irene’s solo, ‘Ribbons Down My Back,’ was one of the highlights of the show.”

Drahozal’s performance in the classroom has proven equally showstopping. The 17-year-old boasts a 4.0 GPA and is a National Merit semifinalist who scored a perfect 36 on her ACT.

So how does she manage to keep her busy life in such perfect harmony?

“I work really hard, and I have to really manage my time to be in all of these arts and to get schoolwork done,” she says. “It’s a lot of work, but I think it pays off.”

Indeed, Drahozal was selected to sing in the Kansas Music Educators Association’s Statewide Festival Choir last year, and she is preparing to audition again this fall. She has twice earned spots in the Kansas Choral Directors Association’s State High School Women’s Honor Choir, which takes place each July in Topeka.

Her achievements makes Drahozal a natural choice for The World Company’s first-ever ArtStar, a program that honors outstanding accomplishment in the fine arts among Lawrence seniors. She snags the title for September.

Crispino, who nominated Drahozal for the inaugural award, says the senior juggles a lot of balls simultaneously without neglecting one area in favor of another.

“Stephanie makes it all seem so easy because she really thinks it through,” Crispino says. “She is careful with budgeting her time, and when she is with you in rehearsal, she is present every second of the rehearsal.

“I think that focus and self-discipline and commitment just really shows – no matter whether she’s in orchestra, she’s singing in choir, she’s onstage taking stage direction – it’s just really an excellent level of achievement that we have with Stephanie.”

Drahozal, an alto who has lived in Lawrence most of her life, says she’s been playing violin since sixth grade and singing for as long as she can remember, although she got serious about choir in junior high.

She also has participated in Summer Youth Theatre productions, such as “My Fair Lady” at the Lawrence Arts Center, and the Broadway at Bethel Music Theatre Camp at Bethel College in North Newton, where she played Daisy in last summer’s “Li’l Abner.”

Introverted by nature, Drahozal encourages any student with an interest in the arts to get involved.

“I used to be pretty shy, and I think especially being onstage has really helped me get myself out there and become more confident,” she says. “I’ve made so many good friendships in the arts.”

Plus, she gets a rush from being involved in the invention of a piece of music or theater.

“You put all these pieces together,” she says. “I just love that you’re creating a story or something that people enjoy listening to or singing.”

And who knows? Maybe one day Drahozal will be putting those pieces together on the Great White Way.

“I think Stephanie has a true passion for making music and acting,” Crispino says. “Anything is possible.”