On April 10, Hardin Valley Academy held its first annual talent show, which the Student Government Association had spearheaded. A total of nine students were featured in the night’s performance, with Kylie Bowman serving as the humorous emcee.
Bowman had initially auditioned for the talent show with a rap, but was then picked at the last minute to be the emcee instead. “I rap all the time,” Bowman said. “I got there with a game I was gonna play, and then I realized I wasn’t that talented. My game was gonna be called ‘Row Your Boat,’ so every time I would say ‘row your boat,’ y’all would say ‘row it faster,’ and then the verses would speed up. But I couldn’t memorize the raps in time.”
The show began with Matthew McCoig playing Tetris, showing off the insane speed and incredible precision that made him a world record holder. He was followed by Jaren White, who sang a tear-jerking rendition of “Someone Like You” by Adele, and then Lily Cafferata sang Taylor Swift’s 2012 hit “Safe and Sound.”
The following performer was Mandy Prescott, who mastered “Angel by Your Side,” an inspirational gospel by Francesca Battistelli. Next to the stage was Britton Lemere, rapidly beatboxing with intermittent rap verses, and then Savannah Bowen, singing another famous Adele song: “When We Were Young.”
“I feel like this year’s talent show was a really good opportunity for me to showcase my talent in front of a grouping of my peers,” said Bowen. “I feel like I did pretty well, like I’m not disappointed in my performance.”
After that, Marshall Murphy took the stage, playing folk music on the fiddle, banjo and guitar. Sarah Howell was up next, belting out Michael Buble’s powerhouse number “Feeling Good.” The talent show concluded with Ethan Klingerman, performing a series of astonishing tricks with a yo-yo.
The judges then deliberated the scores while Bowman presented a bit of stand-up comedy to keep the crowd entertained. “I’m surprised I didn’t choke on my spit,” said Bowman. “I ran out of salivation, like I just dried out, like a raisin.”
Finally, the results were in. Howell was awarded $50 for a third place finish, Klingerman won $75 for second place and Murphy took home first place with an impressive $100. “[I had to practice] a lot of banjo flipping in the mirror,” said Murphy. “I thought I was going to drop the banjo because my hands were really sweaty and I was really nervous.”
The school’s first talent show was a success, so there is a strong possibility that SGA will bring back the event in future school years.
