Richland had annual talent shows many years ago and both the students and the faculty are glad to have it back.  Although it serves as a fundraiser for the Band and Music classes, it is also enjoyable for people of all ages. Over the past three years, it has had a remarkable turnout and continues to improve each year.

The show is so enjoyable because of the range of talent that the students show. There are multiple singing and dancing acts, skits, videos, and other great performances that are placed in a great line up so that the audience does not get tiresome.

Many of the great singing acts included a sixth grader, Kate Wyman, who performed “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” on her ukulele. A group of high school students also formed a band together specifically for the talent show where they performed “Don’t Stop Believing”, with the lead singers being senior Jessica Shidler and freshman Jamie Smith. Smith also performed again later that night with nothing but a tambourine and her guitar, where she sang “The Only Exception”.

Many of the younger students took up the hobby of playing piano and they showed off their great talent last night. Kate Wyman performed “Knight Rupert” and also received a superior rating (1) at a local music festival she competed in. Eighth grader Aleena Robbins showcased the song “Curtains of Fire”. Sophomore Joe Foster competed in the District Musical Festival earlier that day and received a superior rating with Mozart’s piece “Rondo Alla Turca” and will be headed to state within the next few months.

Throughout the school year, the different organizations, clubs, and teams competed in a school-wide Call Me Maybe Video Competition. The volleyball team and the Marching Rebels both showcased their videos to the crowd. There were also many other videos that have been taken throughout the year that were shown in between acts on stage. The Junior Health Class and the Beta Club both participated in a Harlem Shake video, so the audience got to enjoy both of those performances.

There were also multiple dancing productions and the elementary students take great pride in each of their dances. This year, Duley created the Rebel Swag Dance Crew, which is a group of elementary students that practiced a hip-hop dance in their music class each week. The brother sister duo, Alexia Kemp and Hunter Sanders both danced to “Boom Boom Pow” and created a new favorite routine for the crowd.

The high school students also take great pride in their skits. In recent years, they have reenacted multiple Saturday Night Live skits including Target Lady, Church Lady, and Single Ladies. This year, the students of the senior class created a skit called “Bay Tay-Tay” which featured seniors Baylee Taylor, Becka Harden, Richard Forshee, Nick Daniels, and high school science teacher, Daniel Keegan. A group of high school boys also performed a Saturday Night Live skit that they now call a “Friday Night Live Skit: More Cowbell”. The skits are always a great hit with the crowd and are always very funny.

The grand finale always consists of a giant dance team of both high school and elementary students. In previous years, the students have danced to “Thriller” and “Dance Through the Generations”. This year, the song picked for the finale was “Gangnam Style”.