This past weekend, Topeka High’s Thespian Troupe 210 took home a Silver Honor Troupe status at the annual Kansas Thespian Festival. A state level event including over 2,000 theater students and 75 schools from all over the state.

Seniors India MacDonald and Haley Piper received scholarships through the International Thespian Society. MacDonald and Piper received scholarships for performance and technical theater, respectively.

“It kind of changed my whole life plan,” said MacDonald. After originally planning to attend the University of Kansas, MacDonald expresses she is seriously considering taking an offer from the Academy of Musical and Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles.

MacDonald, president of Troupe 210 was called back by 31 colleges, and Haley Piper for 22, alongside fellow senior Cassandra Ludlum, who did not audition but was recruited by several schools for her work.

“It’s crazy, honestly,” Piper said, one of the two technical theater students chosen. “It definitely gave me a lot of motivation and reassurance that I would be able to succeed in this field after high school.”

Other ratings from the event would include Superior ratings for Piper in lighting design and Ludlum for stage management, and Excellent ratings for MacDonald partnered with Oliver Gregory, Samuel Mazas partnered with Zachary Stockton, and Kara McClendon for a musical theater solo.

Jack Waggoner, Venita Large, Haley Piper, Angel Shaw, and Gregorio Leonardo received second place for Speed Charades, and Taliesin Rivera alongside MacDonald, Gregory, Stockton and Mazas received fourth place for Improv.

“It was really great to see our troupe come out and shine,” Piper said. “We did a lot [..] that we haven’t done before. It was really great to see all that come together.”