On Thursday, April 3, East is officially bringing back the yearly talent show. Students with all different talents, ranging from dancing to magic tricks, will have the opportunity to showcase their abilities in the PAC, thanks to the student council.

In past years, however, the event was quite different; the talent show was originally a fundraiser for the yearbook club.

Mrs. Colleen Calvey, who used to be involved in planning the talent shows, explains why this event was important for the yearbook.

“We had different staff each semester, so the second semester staff would come up with ways to fund the book,” Calvey said. “They wanted to add pages, to do special things to the cover, to add color.”

Since East was quite new at the time, it was harder to raise funds for additional projects such as the school’s yearbook. Over time, however, the talent show wasn’t necessary for the club’s original purpose. So, the school got rid of it.

“Cost efficiency wise, we didn’t need the extra money anymore, because it became cheaper to print certain things,” Calvey said.

Now that the talent show is back, it has a new goal in mind: to showcase people’s talents. No longer will students only show their academic skills, but they can show off their singing, dancing, comedic, and even magic skills. Now that these clubs don’t need the funding anymore, it is free to attend and watch the performances.

Mrs. Stephanie Scapino, one of the sponsors for the student council, illustrates how this talent show will be important for students.

“We have a lot of kids who can do things other than those that aren’t necessarily something that is directly showcased by the school,” Scapino said. “This is a way for kids to show what they can do.”

This talent show is much more than an afterschool activity — it’s a way to garner a stronger community. Life after high school is important to consider, since students won’t always be graded on the work they do. Instead, they need to advocate for themselves, and this talent show is a great way to start.

For this to work out, however, a lot needs to be done behind the scenes. Student council president Brooklynne Martynus lists out all the things they have to do in order to make the talent show work.

“As an executive board member, we have to make judge criteria sheets for auditions, so they know what we’re looking for,” Martynus said. “We have to figure out lighting and staging, and then how to get people and equipment onto the stage, and then book the PAC for three days, which is hard, because the musical is going on too.”

In addition, Senior Skylar Dicharia, another student council board member who is in charge of the Student Council Instagram, has had a lot of personal responsibilities along with the team as a whole.

“I’ve had to design all the posters and promote it as much as I could,” Dicharia said. “As a board member in general, we’ve all worked together to try and make this event run smoothly.”

Even with their new leadership role in this event, the student council board is confident it will be a success.

Students attending the talent show demonstrate their interest in other’s passions, which makes the East community closer as a result. Knowing more about other students in the school provides a unique environment no other event can replicate. Performers will be able to show their true selves to the supportive community.

Written by Senior Robbe Witting. Edited by staff writers for Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.