'Mohigan Idol' sings and dances to the tune of $26K for WVU Medicine Children's

Jim Bissett, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
Updated ·2 min read
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Mar. 5—Big talent.

Big stage.

Big check.

Saturday night's "Mohigan Idol " fundraiser at the Metropolitan Theater brought in $26, 000 for WVU Medicine Children's and also kept the stars glowing—both for Morgantown High School and students across Monongalia County.

That's because the event first organized by MHS Student Council back in 2011 has now raised nearly $250, 000 for the hospital that treats young patients across the Appalachians and oceans.

It's also been a showcase of talent for students across the county.

Pop-rockers, metal dudes, poetry-slammers, interpretive dancers and more have graced the stage of the iconic downtown venue over the years.

And it's really two talent shows in one: Students in kindergarten through eighth grade take their turn under the lights, followed by their older peers in grades 9-12, to close out the evening.

In the K-8 portion, vocalist Nikki Snider of Eastwood Elementary took first place with her version of "Part of Your World."

Cheat Lake Elementary's Nicholas Shumiloff's drumming and singing to "World's Smallest Violin " netted the second-place trophy.

The dance group, Breakout, which featured students from elementary schools across the district, netted third place for their performance of "Outlawz."

Dane Gerdes, Dominic Secreto, Andrew Carlton and John Spellman, all of MHS and appearing as the Barbershop Harmony Society, took top honors in the high school division for their acapella version of "Seven Bridges Road."

The Morgantown High trend continued for Maddy Jackson and Clay Compton, who represented their school and won second place with "Never Enough, " their vocal-piano duet.

The poetry reading of her original work, "Morgantown's Mark, " netted the third-place trophy for Patricia Nwoko, also of MHS.

Back in 2011, when MHS student council members came up the idea that punctuated the popularity of "American Idol " on network television, Gretchen Wilson, their faculty advisor, told them to run with it.

Now, 13 years later, student council still is—and so is she.

"We went from a couple of acts to all this, " she told The Dominion Post previously.

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