The stage lights turn on with a bright flash. The crowds begin to murmur as a figure wonders on stage. The first talent act is about to start and suddenly the music begins.
On March 13, ASB hosted its annual seniors-only talent show, Most Spirited Titan. ASB President Addie Queen and Executive of Student Affairs Celeste Atienza served as MCs as seven seniors performed any talent they chose in front of family, friends, and students.
At the end of all the acts, the crowd voted on who they thought did the best to award them the title of Most Spirited Titan.
The first contestant, senior Hannah Roby, performed a solo, singing one of her many original songs, “Why.” She chose it because she wrote it during her freshman year. It was the first song she released in high school, and it means a lot to her.
“Before this talent show, I knew my entire life that I wanted to pursue music, and this performance only inspired me more,” Roby said.
The second contestant was senior Ryan Cavaglieri, who performed APT by ROSÉ & Bruno Mars as a drum solo.
“I just wanted to rip a drum solo in front of everybody, and I thought it would be fun to take a pop song and turn it into something more,” Cavagileri said.
Cavagileri showed personality, character, and, most importantly, a passion for his talent. At the end of his performance, something unexpected happened.
“One of the cool things I did was break my stick in half at the end of my performance. I think that was very surprising to everybody else, but to me, that stuff happens all the time,” Cavagileri said. He has been playing the drums since he was nine years old, so he’s very comfortable on stage and performs with excitement.
Contestant Ella Sommer performed her original song called “Nomad.”
“Practicing non stop became my top priority because I wanted to be confident in my song,” Sommer said. Even though she executed her performance on the piano while singing perfectly, she expresses, “This was a one and done for me. I write music for myself and perhaps some other people who are close to me.” Sommer said.
Next, former ASB President Mackenzie Juza did stand-up comedy. Her skit consisted of her as a baseball coach, and alongside her in the skit was freshman Payton Atkinson as the baseball player. The joke was that Mackenzie knew nothing about baseball and kept calling the players different bases instead of their names.
“I wanted to participate in Most Spirited Titan because I have worked backstage on props every year for ASB, and I loved its energy and always wanted to be a part of it,” Juza said.
Juzafinally got to be in the event instead of running it. The fifth contestant, senior Presley Ceglie, performed a lyrical and emotional dance solo. Ceglie is committed to Texas Tech for dancing, where she will continue her academics as well as her love for dance.
“I had so much support and love from my family and friends through the experience; my teachers also showed me so much support and love,” Ceglie said.
Next, Sophia Grimm performed a dancing/acting performance. She acted as the character Pedro from the movie Napoleon Dynamite. Grimm is the former Exec of Titan Terrors, so crowds are no fear to Grimm as she is used to hyping up Titans at Pep rallies and sporting events.
“I felt super excited and energetic. I used any nervous energy to amp me up and carry me through my performance,” Grimm said.
The final contestant, Faith Gadzekpo Performed a “All Falls Down,” from the musical Chaplin by Jenna Colella. Her voice echoed through the crowd as she glowed on stage.
“For the first time in my life, performing felt easy and stress-free. After MST, singing is something I want to explore further and potentially minor while in college,” Gadzekpo said.
After all the performances, the crowd and judges voted. It was a close call; Grimm won the popular vote, but by a one-point difference from judges, Ceglie won Most Spirited Titan.
