Blue Springs South High School senior Charis Morasch has a great deal on her plate. She’s a member of National Honor Society, a drum major, a percussionist, a member of speech and debate, choir, and theatre – to name a few of her activities.
So how did she find time to take the ACT test, let alone ace it with a perfect score of 36?
Charis is one of two Jaguar students to score a perfect ACT this year, along with fellow senior David Park. The first time South had perfect ACTs was in 2018-19 when Matthew Clark and Anna Kochman each scored 36.
“I remember being in eighth grade and hearing about Matthew and Anna and being in awe that they could carve that trail,” said Charis, who scored a 35 her previous two ACT tries. “It makes me proud to carry on that tradition with David. It’s been a goal of mine since I took my first ACT – I ended up one question short thinking, 'man, I cannot give up now'.”
Giving up isn’t in Morasch’s DNA. As a middle schooler, she placed second in the District Spelling Bee before taking the title the next year.
Last year, Morasch, a member of the BSSHS Jaguar Pride Marching Band took a chance at auditioning for the Macy’s Great American Marching Band, a group of 225 select high school musicians, percussionists, color guard members, and dancers from across the United States that performs in New York at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Not only did she nail that audition and march with the band in 2021-22, but she also performed with them this year. Each time, she performed with cymbals – not her standard instrument.
“In that band, they really don’t have a drum line, so I could audition with cymbals or carry a flag,” Morash said, “I chose the cymbals since I play them here in a few parades. But I had to go find a bunch of YouTube videos to work on my techniques.
And once getting the spot, had to use them for the 2.5-mile parade route “That first time I thought my arms were going to fall off,” Morasch said.
After marching last year, Morasch wanted to participate again this year – another tradition she wanted to carry on.
“The first year, we marched with a lot of alumni members who came back for the performance,” she said. “I saw that and wanted to come back this year and maybe do it again in the future.”
Morasch’s near future includes a strong finish to her BSSHS career, one she hopes to carry her to Nationals in speech and debate and to her college of choice, Vanderbilt University, where she hopes to become a wrongful conviction attorney.
And wherever the future takes her, she will carry the tradition she learned at BSSHS.
“I’m so grateful for the classes above me – they have really showed us that we can drive forward,” she said. “We have incredible teachers and administrators that are so supportive for my peers and myself when we push ourselves. That’s something I hope every student who comes after me knows.”