Determined to make an immediate impression when he enrolled at Warrenton High School prior to his junior year, Jared Kilpack turned to the arenas in which he’s most comfortable.During the first week of school he auditioned for the theatrical production and was awarded the lead role.“Everyone’s like, ‘Who is this guy?’ ” recalled Kilpack. “That kind of helped spread my name pretty fast.”Three semesters later, he is still winning the approval of the director and captivating audiences, whether it’s with his acting or vocal skills.Kilpack, now a senior eagerly awaiting his turn to walk across the stage in May, hasn’t let his new surroundings overwhelm him. Instead, he’s taken advantage of what Warrenton has to offer.Having moved here with his mother and three younger siblings, Kilpack is still seeking to complete his short but impactful journey at Warrenton High School.He is preparing to star in the production of “Mousetrap,” a murder mystery. But his most notable role may be one in which he doesn’t have a single line.Kilpack is the vocal percussionist for Warrenton’s award-winning choir group, “Pitch The Keys.” His job is simply to make improvised noises using his mouth to accompany the music.He recently was chosen to perform in an honors choir at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he drew rave reviews for his signature hand moves.Having been a shadow figure in choir and theater at Camdenton, Kilpack’s success was practically instantaneous following the move. So much so that he decided to switch his career interest.When he moved here, Kilpack was considering the engineering field. Now he’s preparing to become a Jayhawk, finishing up the enrollment process at the University of Kansas.He plans to become a music teacher, inspired by present instructor Jarrod Hendricks, while casting for theatrical roles during the summer.Kilpack is even auditioning for a role to perform at the famed Muny in St. Louis this summer.While quite involved, his life does exist outside of the arts. Kilpack is president of National Honor Society and eyeing the school record as a pole vaulter on the track team.Last season he narrowly missed qualifying for the state meet, a goal he hopes to achieve this spring.Q: How has moving to Warrenton impacted your life most?“Before I moved here, I was bent on being an engineer. But I’ve become a lot more passionate about choir since then. Switching to music from engineering is like opposite sides of the spectrum.”Q: What are the advantages of living in Warrenton as opposed to Camdenton?“You’re close enough to St. Louis that there are more opportunities. But it’s still a small enough community that you can still serve big roles. There is not as much competition, but there’s still a lot of opportunity.”Q: What made you decide to attend the University of Kansas?“I was looking into music programs, and KU has a really good one. I like how the location is away from home but still close enough I can still come to visit. My dad lives in Columbia, so he’s not super-excited about it. ”Q: What are your favorite classes?“I like public speaking, because it’s not stemming away from the stage stuff much. I like being in front of people and speaking. But I’ve also always liked math and science a lot too, so human bio is a lot of fun. I like the challenge.”Q: Who has had the greatest influence on your life?“My dad has been a good example and we’ve always been really close. I go see him every other weekend and stay there for about a month over the summer.”Q: What do you hope to accomplish before graduating?“As a new kid I wanted to make myself known and leave my mark. I don’t know if I’ve quite done that outside of the arts department, so I’m hoping to accomplish that before the end of the year.”Favorite Food: “Crab Rangoon.”Favorite Restaurant: “Applebees.”Favorite Movie: “How to Train Your Dragon.”Favorite TV Show: “Supernatural.”Favorite Song: “Geronimo by Sheppard.”Jared Kilpack