After years of longing to enroll in a school of arts, sophomore Greta Nackerud said she attended the Main Street School of Performing Arts her freshman year of high school.

“I really wanted to go to an arts school ever since I was little because I have a lot of friends who went to Fair,” Nackerud said. “I had friends that went (to Main Street School of Performing Arts and) it just seemed like a really good choice, (which) it was. I loved it.”

Nackerud said the curriculum at Mainstreet School of Performing Arts (Main Street) gave her a diverse schedule.

“Half of my day would be theater, music or dance and the other half would be academics,” Nackerud said. “I auditioned for musical theatre — I went and I sang, danced, acted and then they told me ‘you’re going to be in Acting I, in Jazz, in Musical Theatre Dance and Show Choir.”

According to William Leaf, former acting teacher of Nackerud at Main Street, the school gives their students the opportunity to develop skills in the arts.

“(Main Street provides) a high school education with high academic standards as we foster students’ artistic growth,” Leaf said. “The artistic growth refers to a student’s ability to dissect, analyze, manipulate and adjust their product to get the best results.”

Nackerud said Main Street gave her the opportunity to attend school while also participating in external theater productions.

“It was close to the theater I was participating in, Stages Theatre company, so I was in a lot of plays which meant I would miss a lot of school,” Nackerud said. “(Main Street) would understand because they were an arts school and helped me get back on track.”

According to Leaf, Nackerud brought her passion to the classroom and brightened up the school with her presence.

“I appreciated having (Nackerud) in Acting I because she had such a warm personality the moment she walked into a room,” Leaf said. “Her work was very detailed and she worked hard to find the nuances that made her characters well rounded and engaging to watch.”

Sophomore and friend of Nackerud Morganna Oberdorfer said they have a strong bond because of their similar interests.

“(Nackerud and I) started hanging out a lot and eventually we figured out we both had so much in common. We both love to sing show tunes from musicals, we like to talk about theater a lot and we just love discussing shows and accents, lines — really anything about acting and theater,” Oberdorfer said. “I know that we would not be as good of friends if we didn’t have the same passion for theater.”

According to Nackerud, Main Street had a small and friendly community she felt happy being a part of.

“I loved how close knit the school was because it was a lot smaller than (Park), so I was friends with everybody,” Nackerud said. “I learned to open my eyes to more possibilities and to more people because there were some strange people, but I loved them all and it was just a great experience.”

Oberdorfer said Nackerud brings great positivity to theater and always strives to do her best.

“(Nackerud) always wants to improve and do whatever she can to make our show as good as it can be,” Oberdorfer said. “She is very talented and has this nice vibe that everyone wants to be around — she makes our theater program more happy and welcoming.”

Although having a great year at Main Street, Nackerud said she moved to Park to find something more suitable for her.

“(Main Street) wasn’t the right fit for me and that’s okay,” Nackerud said.