On March 2, 2023, the Lafayette National Honor Society presented a talent show to raise donated goods for the Humane Society. To attend the talent show, guests had to donate either pet supplies or pet food. The show this year was a mix of different acts ranging from creative singing, to comical distracts. When I walked into the show, I was delighted to see the colorful lights that lined the stage and the poster on the back wall. It looked like a talent show scene that you would see in a nostalgic movie.

Both teachers and students participated.  The MCs were Jillian Cooke and Annalise Pereira in the first half of the show, Brayden Crookston and Colin Grantz for the second half.  While Cooke and Pereira were polished and professional,  when Grantz and Crookston took over they really picked up the energy.

The first act came out with a bang. Literally, they started with a song from the popular movie, Top Gun. We did not know that this group of teachers had this much rock. The group consisted of Mr. Alston, Mrs. Rutherford, Mr. Mason, Madam Moore, Mrs. Nuckols, and Mr. Cimbrom. There was a variety of musical instruments, but no one knew the second song that they sang by heart. It was very long, but the music was well put together. We are lucky to have such a fun group of teachers at Lafayette High School. Even everyone’s favorite substitute, affectionately known as “Chum”, was standing in the corner with a tambourine.

After the first act, Mrs. Rutherford stayed on stage and preformed a song River by Garth Brooks, accompanying herself on guitar. The crowd was extremely quiet and listened appreciatively. Journalism student and LHS Senior Janet Ji’s boyfriend Riley whispered, “My dad loves this song.” It was definitely a heartwarming moment.

Next on stage was Emma Grace Stelljes, preforming her Irish jig. Emma Grace is a National Honor Society member and received a scholarship during the talent show for her duties and hard work. Her Irish dance was extremely good and demonstrated real talent and dedication. Emma Grace has been Irish dancing since she was young. The only thing I wish is that it was longer, and we could have seen more of it!

After the high paced Irish jig, the next contestant slowed down the vibes in the auditorium. Alex Parkes performed the song, “Moral of the Story” by Ashe. She played the piano and incorporated singing the chorus. Her whole performance was amazing, and her voice was so good. The microphone didn’t work in the beginning which must have been stressful, but she overcame this set back.

Oh boy three different types of acts in a row! The next act took us straight to Broadway, specifically, to Wicked! Skyla Espiau and Claire Dellinger preformed the song “Popular.” Claire sat on a chair in the center of the stage for most of the performance while Skyla sung to the song around her. She wore a pretty, light pink, fluffy dress which made her look like a princess.

For the fifth act of the night, Sakari Morgan danced to the Black Mamba. He really broke out of his shell with this dance, and got the audience loud. He performed three different remixes to the music, and after each one the crowd gave him a well-deserved standing ovation. I never knew someone could move their body like that!

Next, Ming Cunniff performed the song, “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. This flipped the mood in the auditorium to sad and calm. The audience began singing along to the music and swaying their hands with the flashlights on their phones. It was a nice piece to hear before the next act. Mr. Mason, a.k.a. “Chum,” came out with a violin in hand and started playing, yet it was very quiet. He played for a good amount of time, but it was not the audience’s favorite act.  Lafayette student Caroline Scalia commented, “I could do that,” as she has had many years of training on the same instrument. Hey, but Chum tried his best and that is all that mattered.  Anyone with the courage to perform in front of colleagues and students has my admiration!

Before the closing act, one final band came to the stage. This band was a mix of a teacher and three students. The two MC’s, Brayden and Colin, Mr. Ekstrom, who teaches AP statistics and geometry, and lastly another student that I do not know his name. This band did an original song on Mr. Mason. They called it, A Parody of “My Sharona”. It had a really good base and kept repeating the phase, “Ooo my pretty Chum pretty Chum.” At the end the audience was asked to sing along, and Chum came on stage to soak up the fun.

Finally, the teacher band from the first act returned to the stage to perform a singalong to “Don’t Stop Believing'” by Journey. This was a good conclusion to the LHS NHS Talent Show 2023. The results?  Third-place winner was Sakari, 2nd place went to the girls who performed “Popular” from Wicked, and lastly, the first-place trophy was given to Braydon, Colin, and Mr. Ekstrom.

Gallery • 11 Photos

Courtesy of Ms. Wathen