The 11th annual talent show wowed and amazed audiences as it became the highest grossing talent show in this school’s history, earning more than $3,500 in just two performances. 670 tickets were sold during the school performance, breaking records from years’ past.

     The talent show began with some playful banter between emcees Gavin Zeamer and Gwyn Newcomb, seniors. They kept up their own comedy act as they announced all the other stunning acts in the show. This included dressing up as if they were from the 90s, wearing “groutfits,” and taking a dig at discussion boards.

     “My favorite part was the part where Gywn just chugs a bottle of water,” Zeamer said. “She revealed that talent like a day before and I was floored.”

     The opening act was Junior Emma Gray singing “Make You Feel My Love,” by Adele.

     “Being first was definitely not what I expected,” Gray said, “I was so used to going later on in the show, but it was a nice change.”

      Gray has an emotional connection with the song she chose.

     “I chose to sing “Make You Feel My Love” because it was my parent’s first dance song at their wedding,” Gray explained. “It is kind of like a small ‘thank-you’ to my parents for being so amazing over the years.”

     Junior Garret Heiston performed a rap that he wrote himself called “Munchies.”

      “I wanted to be in the talent show because I knew it was a way to popularize my music and express myself to a large portion of the school,” Heiston said. “I’ve been singing since the fourth grade but I’ve only been writing and making music since late freshman year.”

     Other musical acts included “Life is a Highway,” performed by Julian Vladimir. Vladimir was the only performer to get a standing ovation after his act. Another popular act was Juniors Noah Shenk and Elijah Zaslow, who make up the band Planet Z, performing Green Day’s “Basketcase.” Shenk jammed on bass guitar and sang the vocals while Zaslow rocked on the drums. Sophomore Kara Blakely sang “Never Enough” was the movie Greatest Showman, which led to high school students waving their phones’ flashlights in the air and cheering as she belted her spectacular high notes.

     Not all the acts were musical, however. Freshman Gwyneth Johnson did an archery act, never seen before at school. Other non-musical acts included science with Mrs. Linda Correll and even some stand-up comedy routines.

     Senior Richard Mesig, who is our visiting German exchange student, stepped outside of his comfort zone to do a standup routine.

     “I wanted to be in the talent show because I saw it as a nice opportunity to make myself popular in the school,” Mesig said. “I also wanted to show the differences between American and Germany in a comedic way.”

       Teachers took to the stage as well to show that they could do more than lecture. German teacher Hannah Ellington sang an opera song in French. Marketing teacher Mark Frazier sang George Ezra’s “Budapest” while playing his guitar with Seniors Claire Sutliff on harmonies and Zayne O’Connor on ukelele.

      “I loved doing the talent show because it was a lot of fun, and the kids were so kind to each other,” Frazier said.

      The talent show wowed a lot of people this year in the audience, providing quality entertainment that all could enjoy. In return, the audience gave lots of positive feedback during the performance in the form of laughter, applause, and cheering.

      “I really appreciated that all the students were supportive of every act,” said Mesig.