Lisa Hartz, 13, Index Elementary School, seventh grade

Growing up in Index: “Sometimes I take the mountains and the green and the trees for granted. But then I’ll go to the big city, like Everett or Seattle, and I can’t wait to get back home.” Lisa said she and her family go to Everett about once a month.

Growing up in Index, II: “It’s pretty quiet. We don’t have a lot of big things that happen. A lot of people around here go hiking and stuff for fun.”

Earl Grey Feeny: That’s the name of her pet chinchilla. “The person who had him before called him Mr. Feeny and they said I couldn’t change his name. But he didn’t have a first name, so now he’s Earl Grey Feeny and they can still call him Mr. Feeny if they want to.”

She also has a dog, Snowy.

Good times at Index Elementary School: Lisa has been a leader over the years, taking part in the school’s Teens Against Tobacco Use group, as well as playing the lead in many musical productions.

Time to go: After eight years at Index Elementary School, which only goes up to seventh grade, she graduates this year. “Throughout the years, I’ve prepared for it. I think probably it will be really sad. I’ve gotten to know so many teachers and kids. I fit in. I’m part of a family here.”

She plans to school at home next year before deciding whether to attend a high school.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road: She played Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” in fifth grade. “That was probably the biggest play Index has ever done. It was kind of difficult because it was the first time I had a really big role.”

She is sharing the lead role in “East of the Sun, West of the Moon,” which will be presented Thursday night in the school gym.

Actor for life: She doesn’t want to make a career out of it, but acting will always be a part of her life. She wants to attend a public high school to be involved in drama. “We went and saw Sultan High School’s program (‘Carnival’) and it was amazing.”

Head of the class: She wants to be a teacher, like her mom, Edie, who is a preschool teacher in Skykomish. Her dad, Warren, is a bus driver and aide in the Index School District.

Future plans: “I like Index. It’s a really great town, but I think I might want to see some other places. I want to see New York City and Hawaii. I want to go to, like, Germany and Austria and Norway, or maybe to India to see my uncle (Richard). He’s been there for 15 years. It would be kind of neat to go to India and see where he lives.”

Know a super kid? Call us at 425-339-3036 or schoolfyi@heraldnet.com.

Michael O’Leary / The Herald

Lisa Hartz starred as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” her first big acting role at the Index School two years ago.

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