Super Kid: Caroline Rourke, Archbishop Murphy High School senior

Q: You're a lead actress in the musical your school is staging. Tell me about that.

A: This year I'll be doing "Annie Get Your Gun." I play one of the Annie Oakleys. The play opens Feb. 24.

Q: What was your first experience on stage?

A: I went to St. Brendan's (Catholic School). When I was in fourth grade, I started doing musicals with Village Theatre's Kidstage.

Q: So you love the theater. Why is that?

A: It's hard to explain. When I was 9 years old, I did "Fiddler on the Roof." You go out on stage and the lights hit you. For a second it's hard to see. But it's so exciting, for an hour or two to be someone else: I'm not like this, but she is. And people in the audience, you can hear them. You're making them feel those emotions.

Q: And the hardest part?

A: Probably for a musical it's learning the music. It's three hours of practice every day.

Q: It must be hard to juggle your schoolwork too. What classes are you taking senior year?

A: I'm in the Seattle University Matteo Ricci program. You get college credit for humanities classes. I'm taking Theology 12 honors, English 12 honors, Social Science 12 honors, Spanish 4 through the UW, precalculus and drama. This has been my hardest year -- by far.

Q: Where do you hope to go to college?

A: I'm applying to UW, WSU, Gonzaga, University of Portland, Santa Clara, Loyola (University) Maryland and American University in Washington, D.C. We're from D.C. We moved here in 2000 when I was 5. My dad's job brought us here. I would love to go back East.

Q: Tell me about your family.

A: We live in Bothell. I have a sister, Catherine, who is a sophomore here. We went to grade school together, then it was just me at Murphy. Now I drive her to school, and she has choir at 7 a.m.

Q: What will you take away from Archbishop Murphy High School?

A: This school is small enough; it has a family feel. And I've been taking prep classes for college the last two years.

Q: Is it too soon for career plans?

A: I may pursue communications. I love to talk. I'm interested in broadcast news. I also love to work with people, and I love history. It's a big decision.

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: Theater is fun. For the fall play here, we did three one-act plays. I got to direct a play called "Keep Your Halo Straight," and I got to act in another one.

Q: Do you volunteer?

A: I usually help at my church during vacation Bible school. The summer before my sophomore year, I worked with Outdoors for All. It's a summer camp for people with disabilities.

Q: What will you miss most when you leave home?

A: Seeing my family every day. And my mom's cooking. I try to be a healthy eater, but my favorite thing of hers -- she makes cakes and cookies -- are these really yummy cake balls.

Q: Do you have a favorite book?

A: "The Diary of Anne Frank." I can't imagine her situation, but the book is applicable to teenage girls today. My senior quote for the yearbook comes from Anne Frank: "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."