Students showcase a variety of talent

Sandro Quinones sings “Florescent Adolescent” with his indie rock band, Stronghold.

BY SAM PRADO ROBERTS
On January 22, Junior Class of 2026 hosted the Variety Show. The 14 acts included bands, songs, dances, and spoken word performances. Samyah Brown-Hamilton placed first, Emily Barnhardt and Olivia Medina placed second, and Jayden Junaid placed third.

Juniors Camryn Burniston, Izabela Morgan, and Emma Pepe hosted the show and introduced acts. The trio worked together to come up with jokes and skits before the performances in the weeks leading up to the show. “These ideas were constantly changing because of new ideas we would get and new props we would have access to,” Burniston said.

Emily Barnhardt and Olivia Medina hold hands as they walk on stage after the MCs announced they won second place.

The Stronghold Band consisted of Sandro Quinones and Michael Wrate on guitar and Ryan Larson who played the bass. Quinones sang lead vocals and Wrate sang backup vocals. They played “Fluorescent Adolescent” by the Arctic Monkeys. “With each rehearsal, we grew more and more confident until we got behind the curtain. It helped us stay calm before playing to think about it as ‘another rehearsal’ and not an actual performance,” said Quinones.

The Goofy Goobers band included Jianni Bisnauthsing on vocals, Braedon Appleton on drums, and Nick Cleary on guitar. They played “Gary’s Song (Gary Come Home)” from Spongebob Squarepants. “It was mostly formed as a joke, and everything ended up working out to let us perform on Wednesday,” said Bisnauthsing.

Phoebe Agyei, Ariana Pino, and Jayden Junaid dance in a line as a part of their Step Team performance.

Roginey LaFortune sang “Hallelujah” as a dedication for her father who passed last year. “I had a really rough year I lost at lot including my dad, but I got through it, so it was like a relief that I made it,” said LaFortune. “Hallelujah was kind of my way of saying that in a song form.”

The next performance showcased juniors Victoria Botte and Jamie Hazel in bright-colored outfits dancing original choreography to “Shut up and Dance” by Walk the Moon. “I prepared for the dance by practicing the dance with my dancing partner, Jamie, many days before, making sure we perfected it, and anything that we needed to fix, we made sure to do before we hit the stage!” said Botte.

During a dance to the song “Shut Up and Dance,” Victoria Botte plays air guitar with Jamie Hazel’s leg.

Senior Corinne Liamero took thestage for the first spoken word performance of the night. She titled her piece “Friends,” which addressed her experience gaining friends growing up. “I want to be an author when I get older, and I figured writing something and performing at this show would be a good way to put some of my work out there,” said Corinne Liamero.

The Afrobeats group performed a dance led by junior Jayden Junaid and senior Courtnee McFarlane. Who modified their dance from the Holiday Pep Rally for the show. “When we had rehearsal for the show, we practiced to make sure everyone knew the order of the dances and learned everything,” said McFarlane.

Adrianna Hui sings “Lacy” by Olivia Rodrigo.

The next solo singer, Adrianna Hui sang “Lacy” by Olivia Rodrigo, a young artist revered by teenagers for her relatable content. “I think that the song is so beautiful and that the lyrics are really relatable to a lot of teenagers, me included, in feeling this combination of jealousy and admiration towards somebody we see as perfect,” said Hui.

Next, Psychology teacher Elio Bustamante sang “Vienna” by Billy Joel with a piano accompaniment by sophomore Sara Jaworuk. “It felt great to show my friends and family the music Mr. B and I played,” said Jaworuk. “We both worked very hard and we are proud of that.”

Michael Wrate plays lead guitar during his band’s performance of “Florescent Adolescence.”

The second spoken word performance by Jayden Junaid, “My Mother Tongue,” recounted her experiences growing up in a household with immigrant parents. “I definitely didn’t expect the response that I got, and my peers telling me how much they related to my poem makes me feel so much better about actually sharing,” said Junaid.

The next duo to perform included Julianna Carigga and Saniyah Smith. The pair sang a duet of “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappel Roan. “I’ve always wanted to go up on stage. I enjoyed performing in front of family whether I was singing or dancing,” said Carigga. “I just finally had the courage to do it!”

Another singer, Melanie Liamero took the stage next and sang “I Wanna Be Yours” by The Arctic Monkeys. “I wanted to show people that I feel that I am more than just somebody who just does the school shows on stage and acts,” said Liamero, who also performed in the spring musical last year.

Emily Barnhardt and Olivia Medina sang the second-place winning duet. The duo sang “For Good” from Wicked, a newly released film based on a popular Broadway show. “It felt really great since I got to perform with my best friend,” said Medina.

The second dance group to perform, Step Team, used songs and dances from the Pep Rally and repurposed them for the show. Junaid, who led the group, helped organize the routine. “It was amazing to see the audience as we performed and show off all of our hard work,” said Junaid.

Courtnee McFarlane gets hyped up by her dance mates during a solo portion of the dance.

The last performer, Samyah Brown-Hamilton, who placed second in last year’s talent show, won first place for her solo of “Sky Fall” by Adele. “That’s kind of my favorite song and I always sing it in the house so I knew I had to sing it for the show,” said Brown-Hamilton.

After the showcases finished, all the performers stood on stage and awaited the verdicts of the six judges composed of teachers and faculty members, Brittany Bennett, Cheryl Mackey, Liz Todaro, Nicole Mondano, and Robert Waitt.

Members of the Air Force JROTC Honor Guard, Arianna Cabrera, Asha Persaud and Julie Ivan present the Colors at the beginning of the show.
During a duet with Olivia Medina, Emily Barnhardt performs “For Good.”
Jianni Bisnauthsing jams to the beginning portion of “Gary’s Song”
Samyah Brown-Hamilton performs her winning rendition of “Skyfall” by Adele.