Middle school plans to make the show an annual event because there are so many talented students
Published in the March 5- 18, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Photo by Marty Cheek
Mikala Hoston and Nancy Avina sing “Stay” by Rhianna and took first place.
Students of Martin Murphy Middle School entertained an audience of about 150 friends and family with the campus’s first annual talent show Feb. 12.
“The kids did amazing. I’m very proud of them,” said Martin Murphy Principal Heather Griffin. “I can’t believe how brave they all are. At 12 to 15 years old, to be able to get up on stage in front of your peers and a gym full of people shows that they’re happy, they’re confident, and they feel safe in a school community.”
First-place performers were Mikala Hoston and Nancy Avina who sang acapella the song “Stay” by Rhianna. Second-place performer was Mackenzie Turnipseed who sang the song “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles.
There was a tie for third place: Sarah Tidwell sang “Wasting All These Tears” by Cassadee Pope and Alex Nguyen performed a magic show.
Other performers who participated in the talent show were: Kylie Katsuyoshi and Lindsey Hillesland who did a gymnastics demonstration; Ryan Whitehead and Mackenzie Lathrop who did a guitar cover of the Guns N Roses song “Sweet Child of Mine”; Stephen Faulk who did the “Titanic Home Loans” comedy skit; Kyle Desvarro who sang the Taylor Swift song “Changes”; Brian Martinez and Soana Puna who did a hip-hop “dance battle”; Alicia White and Stephen Faulk who did a “Equine Maids” comedy skit; Alec Govea, Traci Le and Justin Ray who did a “Never Pay Insurance” comedy skit; Angelina Cervantes who sang “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus; Emily VanBoening who performed an “Alice’s Wonderland Travel” comedy skit; Justin Ray, Alec Govea and Alicia White who performed the “Barry Brutus Cosmetic Ear Clinic” comedy skit; Mexcia Isais who sang “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry; Alec Govea who, dressed as a vampire, performed his First National Blood Bank” comedy skit; Mary Parham who sang “Change Your Life” by Little Mix; Alicia White and Traci Le who performed the “Camp Fashionista” comedy skit; and Emily VanBoening who did a Taekwondo demonstration.
Emcees at the talent show
The student emcees were all from the eighth grade. Terra Lara, Christian Lee, Nick Perazzo and Logan Steed kept the show rolling by introducing each performer.
The judges were MHUSD Superintendent Steve Betando, MHUSD Director of Curriculum/Instruction Arlene Machado, Ann Horner of Thinker Toys, and Martin Murphy parent Thomas Esch.
The show was put on because so there are so many talented kids within the school’s student body and many of them wanted the opportunity of an evening showcase to share their talent with the school’s community, Griffin said. The school plans to make this talent show a yearly tradition.
“This was very student driven,” she said. “The students put this performance together from beginning to finish and we wanted to give them that creative opportunity. We’re trying to build our performing arts program. To give those types of chances for our kids (to perform) is very important to us.”
