By Bella Ghile
Click, click, that’s all the number of clicks it took to watch the Virtual Talent Show. From the comfort of my memory foam bed, I was popcorn ready. It livened my Friday night up with beautiful music echoing through my room. I couldn’t turn my eyes away for a second. The Virtual Talent show succeeded in giving students at Herndon High School a fun activity while at home. As said earlier, the entirety of the event was virtual, with the full compilation of videos airing on YouTube. Due to COVID’s increasing numbers, the number one priority was being safe. It was a fun collaborative event packed into 20 minutes. It included everyone from all grades, even the faculty/staff at Herndon. It featured singing, art, and playing instruments. After watching the show, I submitted a google form casting my vote for the show. I marveled at the fact that through submitting a google form, I was able to have a say in who won. This small endeavor allowed students to interact and stay engaged. But a “thing” is never without a flaw, I must say a lack of a host to guide the show was a surprise to me. A host can notably “spice” up an event as seen on America’s Got Talent and American Idol. And it was shorter than I expected. Regardless, it was a good event amidst the COVID crisis and had me excited about school events.
I was able to sit down and talk with the organizers of the event, Leadership Class of ‘23 Virtual Committee. They informed me that the Leadership Class had multiple committees and they were in charge of the virtual events/others etc...The main idea for the committee is “something that didn’t involve us getting together”. Taking those logistics in, it took quite a while to plan, they started the process weeks prior to the event, starting from November to the show being screened in January. It really paid off though, and although they don’t have any new virtual events planned, I’m sure the next one will be even better!
I was lucky enough to speak with the winners of the show! Seamus and his band were the winners of the Junior class and Alan, the Senior class. I asked them a series of questions relating to the process of the show and their own talents. They both agreed that having the event done virtually had lost a certain touch, but gave them other benefits, as Seamus said "you get multiple attempts" to do it right. Both of the winners expressed their fiery love for music. Alan remarked, “[music is] my entire life”. Alan plans on attending music school for college and is set on being a professional musician. With Seamus being in a band, music provides lifelong friends. And although Seamus isn’t sure if he wants to pursue music professionally, he knows that music will be in his future “in some kind of way.” The melodious Emily Griffiths won the Freshman class, and the multilingual Sean Dresdner won the Sophomore class. Taking the title for overall winner was Heather Coyne, for her spectacular piano playing. And for everyone wondering where their 4-foot golden trophies are, they received free Herndon sweatshirts. What a great event for highschoolers to showcase their talents! This show was definitely a hit.