In the Bellevue East High School auditorium on March 1, the vocal music students hosted a talent show to raise money for their program.

The show was held from 5 to 10 p.m., and the entry fee was $3 per child and $5 per adult. The student choir leadership planned and organized the event to help fund their trips, costumes, new costumes, etc.

“The turnout was great,” vocal music director Cameron Stussie said. “Lots of families came out, and support from East students was great. It was awesome to see so many students come to support their classmates.”

Out of all the student performances, senior Kael Walker won 1st place with his singing act, freshman Elena Ruvalcaba won 2nd place with her dancing act, and sophomores Grant Reyes and Cody Jones-DeVol won 3rd place with their percussion and piano duet. The students were judged by counseling secretary Malinda Hadley, counselor Kacie Anderson, and tennis coach Krista Tew.

“It felt great to win; it was something I was excited for, a little nervous about, but mostly grateful for the opportunity to share my talent,” Walker said.

  Winners were determined based on who had the most points awarded to them. Each judge had to fill out a rubric for each performance; it was a 1-10 scoring system, gaining points on elements such as audience engagement, costumes, skill level, and creativity.

“My experience as a judge was great,” Anderson said. “It was a really awesome way to see the awesome talents of our Bellevue East students – I most likely would not have had the privilege to witness these talents had I not judged the talent show.”

Walker’s winning performance Singing “Love” by Frank Sinatra. He received the most points and donations in his bucket for his act. Every performer had their own bucket, so the audience could donate based on which people they enjoyed the most.

“I was the very last to perform; when I got up there I was excited,” Walker said. “I never sang in public like that before, so it was a new thing to experience for me and I was thrilled to sing in front of everybody.”

Apart from planning and organizing, the students in charge had to find the judges, find the prizes, and advertise the event. Behind the stage, some of the choir students helped performers with what they needed.

“They helped encourage me and direct me with what I needed to do, and where I needed to go; it was my first time being behind the curtain, so it was cool to be back there and see what everything was like,” Walker said.

Due to its popularity, the talent show could possibly happen again in the future. The final decision is up to the choir leadership and their plans for next year.

“It was a fun event,” Stussie said. “It went much better than we anticipated, and I think it would be great to continue the event and create a new tradition.”