SHENANDOAH JUNCTION — The Jefferson High School Theater Department planned the Jefferson’s Got Talent event, where students throughout the school shared their amazing and unique talents with the community.
The theater department has been hosting this event for the past four years to give students throughout the school the opportunity to share their talents.
Megan Russell, theater director at Jefferson High School, helped oversee the event, but it was mainly the students themselves who put the event together. The theater department worked to create sign-ups, plan the event and host it to create a fun time for the community to come together.
“It gives students the opportunity to be responsible for something and really make it their own,” Russell said. “They learn how to manage an event and get invested in something they have say over.”
All the Jefferson High School students were invited to sign up and participate. Some of the acts included singers, dancers, videos, professional yo-yo tricks and more. Each performance was evaluated by the panel of judges, which included several teachers from different departments within the school.
The first-place winner was a rock band named LRCK, previously known as Chunky Lops. The band, which included Kegan Adams, Richard Friends, Bria Cross, Logan Grajeda and Chris Soria, won $75 for its performance.
Avalyn Marken won second place after singing “She Used to Be Mine” from the musical “Waitress,” while Cassandra Stevens won third place for her beautifully choreographed dance. Marc Rivera and Daniel Williams won the People’s Choice Award.
“I think it’s unique, because it’s not just the performance arts department participating,” Russell said. “There are a lot of performing arts students who are participating, since we have a lot of singers, but we’re giving the entire school the chance to share their talents and see things we don’t normally get to show.”
It was a fun event designed to bring the school together, but it also challenged students to step outside their comfort zone. Russell shared that one of her favorite parts of the event was seeing students become more confident in themselves and their abilities.
“I just enjoy seeing the confidence the students get by participating,” Russell said. “A lot of them perform solo, so it can be pretty nerve-wracking for them. Even if they don’t win first place, a lot of the students leave feeling more confident, because they still accomplished something great.”
Guests had a great time watching the students perform and share their talents with the community.