The annual talent show is not really a competition, as there is no panel of judges or awards presented. Rather, as Mr Petrocco explained, it is “a showcase” of student talent.
This year eight musical acts comprised the program. The show began with Luther Kuefner rapping original lyrics. Kuefner, like most of the participants, had to overcome the anxiety associated with performing in front of a gymnasium filled with parents, teacher and his peers. “I’m excited. I’m pumped. I’m pretty nervous though,” Kuefner admitted before kicking off the show.
Daelyn Chase followed with an original composition on piano.
After a harrowing experience performing in the show her sophomore year, Cathie Gastelum returned to sing “Trouble” by Coldplay while playing piano. Gastelum said, “I played in the talent show two years ago, but the mic kept slipping and I got more and more nervous and started messing up.”
Meera Madra and the Bhangra Dance Club mixed classic Indian dance moves with modern hip-hop. Erica Howland and Mary Youm performed a duet of “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele. Callie Hazerbedian sang “Safe and Sound” by Taylor Swift while Dominic Gastelum accompanied on guitar.
Athan Gousios, Matt Haley, Ben Thomas, and Patrick Espe, known as the Underground Mix-ups, finished off the acts, first performing “Good Times, Bad Times” by Led Zepplin, and then an encore of “40 oz. to Freedom” by Sublime.
“It went well, I was not expecting anyone to want us to play another one,” said Thomas.
The talent show tradition has been part of Campolindo history for over 20 years. Students usually perform musically acts, but leadership tries to showcase a diverse assortment of performances. In fact, teachers have even performed.
Spring break being the week before the talent show reduced the advertising time that could be utilized for auditions. Leadership takes several factors into account when picking performers, the most important being the act’s confidence. All of the performers must have enough confidence to perform their talent effectively in front of the school. For some ,this can be quite daunting.
