Tuesday, May 29, 2012 By Shefali Amin
The afternoon consisted of a show that most seniors are calling, “the best talent show” of their high school career. Freshman Kevonte Johnson was the opening act of the show. All of the ladies were swooning over him as he sang “Boyfriend” by Justin Bieber. Then, another freshman came on to display his talent. Freshman Brendan Schneiderman wowed the audience with his $80 light-up hula-hoop. “He was hula-hooping for almost three minutes while walking and taking multiple shirts off,” exclaims senior Deni Kolev, “I was beyond impressed at his skill!” After that performance was Freshman Ethan Anderson who synthesized music. This talent was a first for East Penn and on stage, Senior Nolan McMullen called him, “the prodigy of Skrillex.” Afterwards, sophomore Allison Palotta sang and played a number on the piano.
Now, the seniors came on stage. First, senior Tatiana Shank came on stage and belted the song “I Was Here” by Beyonce. Kolev agrees with the lyrics of the song saying, “She definitely left her mark on East Penn.” Senior Andrew Pettit was next on stage. Pettit played a cover of “Cinema” by Skrillex on his drums, making the auditorium feel like rave! After Pettit’s jaw-dropping performance came Slate Hill Road, which consisted of a group of seniors: Anson McConnell on drums, Drew Hartwig as lead singer, Dylan Sundy on guitar, Billy Wotring on guitar, and Cameron Ketelsleger on bass. Singing “Sugar We’re Going Down” by Fall Out Boy, the band kept the atmosphere high. Lastly, Peaceful Rain, made its way to the stage. This group stole the show because it was a Backstreet Boys versus Spice Girls dance. It instilled a sense of nostalgia in the audience towards the music of their childhood. The Backstreet Boys consisted of Cory Caldwell, Anson McConnell, Curtis Banks, Billy Wotring, and Dylan Sundy. The Spice Girls consisted of Deni Kolev, Andrea Grove, Sydney Boutcher, Caelyn Bissel, and Emily Langland. The seniors are leaving East Penn on a high note thanks to the heartthrobs of Peaceful Rain.
Finally, it was time for the awards presented by Seniors Nolan McMullen and Brett Shurock. The most original prize went to Brendan Schneiderman, aptly dubbed ‘Super Hooper’ by McMullen. The most talented was awarded to Slate Hill Road! The funniest award went to Peaceful Rain! Each winning group received $50. Senior Anson McConnell who was in two of the winning groups claims he was, “ecstatic and thrilled!” while waving his $15 in the air. McConnell says, “We weren’t able to practice very much, and we were kinda nervous since we only had one shot to give it everything, but we pulled through and did it.” The members are happy they won, especially since the legacy they leave behind was one they created with their best friends. Although McConnell is overjoyed at winning, he still believes that the most talented award should have gone to Andrew Pettit because, “Pettit had real talent and deserved to win.” With this final display of talent, the East Pennsboro Seniors of 2012 have left a level of performance so high that it may take years for another class to beat them.