Senior Lyra Isenberg has surprised many with her passion for learning and abilities in theater.
Isenberg moved to the Bay Area her sophomore year in high school after attending Harwood Union in her home town of South Duxbury, Vt. Throughout her high school career, Isenberg has become involved in Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB), Knowledge Bowl, the theater department and this year became the secretary of National Honor Society. When she first began high school, Isenberg said she made it her goal to take as many advanced courses as possible.

“Coming into high school, I was very motivated to take as many challenging courses as I could because I wasn’t exposed to it much in middle school,” Isenberg said.

According to Isenberg, her family has played a large role in her constant drive to succeed at a high level in school. She said starting at a very young age she was told because of her abilities that she should apply herself in school.  Taking her family’s advice to heart, Isenberg was recently named a Commended Student by the National Merit Scholarship Committee due to her high score on the PSAT.

Isenberg said she plans on attending Dartmouth University, an Ivy League school in New Hampshire after graduating and was accepted to the majority of schools she applied for, which included Grandice University in Boston, Mass., Prane Mellon University in Pittsburg, Pa. and was put on the waiting list for Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. Isenberg said she finds inspiration within herself to do well.

“It comes from inside. I want to do well for me, not just my family, and I think that is the most important kind of motivation,” Isenberg said.

As well as succeeding in the classroom, Isenberg decided to take her skills to the stage and joined the theater department last year. Isenberg said she wanted to join theater because her previous high school did not have a theater program, making her eager to join when coming to Marshfield.  Isenberg also said fellow students in the program inspired her to join and that she connects and loves performing with that particular group of people.

“Getting to do a play with them versus being in the classroom with them is a completely different experience,” Isenberg said.  “It’s much more intimate.”

During her first year in the program, Isenberg also got her first experience on stage with a role in last year’s production of “You Can’t Take it with You.” Isenberg said it was an extremely enjoyable experience and that she looks forward to doing more plays in the future.

“It was probably the best theater experience I have ever had,” Isenberg said. “It was fantastic.”

Isenberg said she has grown close with many teachers over her years at Marshfield. They said they respect her passion for learning and are impressed with her work ethic.  English teacher, forensics coach and assistant theater director Josh Scheirman said Isenberg has the skill sets needed for theater and that he greatly enjoys the performances he has seen from her. According to Scheirman, he has noticed Isenberg has a shy personality and the stage helps her come out of her shell.

“She is quiet by nature in my opinion, but the stage gives her a chance to leave her quiet and reserved self behind and embrace a more vibrant performance-based version of herself,” Sheirman said.

In addition to theater, Scheirman said he enjoys having her in his English 12 class.  According to Scheirman, Isenberg has a natural ability when it comes to English and she writes and thinks at an above-average level. Scheirman said with her extreme attention to detail and her strong work ethic, Isenberg is a student every teacher hopes to come across.

“She is the kind of student that all teachers envision their students to be like,” Scheirman said.

As many teachers and others around her have noticed, Isenberg has been impressive in both the classroom and the theater and has continued to impress throughout her high school career. As stated by Scheirman, Isenberg’s drive to achieve and her incredible work ethic will take her far once out of high school.

“She is a passionate and hungry student,” Scheirman said.  “She loves to learn.”