Maconaquah High School talent show still going strong

Apr. 15—BUNKER HILL — "Thought I messed up." "Didn't expect it." "I've played it better."

That's how the top three vote getters responded when asked how they felt about their performance following Maconaquah High School's talent show Friday evening.

Perhaps the students were tougher on themselves than the audience, who voted for their favorite acts.

Friday was the 61st annual talent show at Maconaquah and featured more than 20 individual and group performances.

It was Isabella Head who won over the audience, earning first place with her performance of "The Ballad of Jane Doe," from the Canadian musical "Ride the Cyclone."

"I thought I messed up," Head said. "I thought I had a few cracks in my voice."

It wasn't her first choice of song, but she went for it as Head thought the song would better display her vocal range.

The move paid off for the senior who was hesitant to even do the talent show. Head participated one other year and admitted it felt like a lot.

But senior year brought new perspective.

"This was my last year, and (I wanted to) go out with a bang," Head said.

Her first song choice? "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood.

The talent show was written, produced and organized by students. Directors Michelle Lybrook and David Walsh gave their input, but the students were free to make the decisions and learn from their mistakes.

"They learned to think on their feet," Lybrook said.

The theme of the show was Bright Lights, Big City, set in New York City.

The three student hosts introduced each performance as if they were walking through the Big Apple watching street performers.

Gracie Cook doubled up with two solos: "I Will Always Love You," made famous by both Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston, and "The Story of Us" by Taylor Swift.

It was her rendition of "I Will Always Love You," which was meant as a farewell to the Maconaquah class of 2024, that netted Cook second place. She was sure if she won anything it'd be for Taylor Swift.

She performed her winning song once before, as a seventh grader, but wanted another shot.

"I was really shaky back then," Cook said. "I wanted do it again and do it better."

She dressed for the occasion donning two different sparkly dresses for her performances.

And like her classmate Head, Cook was initially on the fence about doing the talent show again.

"I was struggling," she said. "I was busy. I didn't think I wanted to do it this year."

But that senior-year-one-last-go-around mentality won out.

Ryan Ousley was encouraged by his friends to enter the talent show. It paid off with a third-place finish. The top three individual acts and the top group performance all received cash prizes.

"It was fun," Ousley said. "It was a fun experience."

A piano player since the age of 7, Ousley played Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata Third Movement. It was one of the suggestions his piano teacher gave him.

"I thought that sounded really cool, so I chose that one," Ousley said.

Most students sang, others danced or a combination of the two. There were duets and even nods to Miami County culture.

Two performances were circus based. Sophia Hoeksema and Viala Seymoure performed balancing acts, while twin brothers Corey and Kevin Nord juggled.

The Nords, who are ranked first and second in their junior class, are Peru Amateur Circus kids.

They juggled clubs, swords and rings, set to the song "Great Balls of Fire."

Admittedly, they've had less drops than the few they had Friday night, but still thought they put on a good show. Part of their performance was in total darkness, with only their items illuminated.

For the 60th anniversary of the talent show last year, Maconaquah alumni were invited to perform.

Spencer Durham can be reached at 765-454-8598, by email at spencer.durham@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @Durham_KT.