What do you get when you mix over 80 KPS students and an auditorium full of family and friends on a chilly November Friday? You get Kent Primary School’s second annual Talent Showcase! And what a show it was!

For more great photos from this event, visit our online photo album

A DVD of the show will be made available very soon! Watch the backpacks for your chance to capture the magic! Or, if you just can't wait...download the form from our online forms page!

The show began with Master of Ceremonies Mr. Johnson leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by Mrs. Quindazzi’s class, singing the National Anthem. Then the show was off and running with Pajama Party, performing a dance number, complete with a Broadway-style kick line, treating the crowd to “Pumpng Up the Party”. Each act that followed was a highlight, from the You Tube-inspired “Numa Numa” performed by the Hip Hop Hula Hoop Dancers to the energetic dance number by Camp Rock, performing to “Play My Music”.

Over 25 acts in all, and each one was a stand-out favorite. The show moved along at a crisp pace, with acts such as “Crocodile Rock” keeping the energy up. Of course, the night’s biggest stars were our kids, who all brought their “A” game, came to play and showed the packed house at George Fischer Middle School what it means to be a shining star of KPS. As was the case last year, the audience was a huge factor in the success of the show, with wave after wave of enthusiasm, encouragement and appreciation washing over each performer.

With the addition of Mrs. Quindazzi’s class, along with Mrs. Peck and Mrs. Mercado’s class performing an eclectic display complete with colorful scarves, this year’s show boasted students from every grade at Kent Primary. Closing the first half of the show was a group that became an instant tradition last year…the dance team of Mrs. Connors, Miss. Bruno, Miss Raymond and Mr. Tompkins, joined this year by Ms. Garcia… and their rendition of the Michael Jackson classic, “Beat it”.

One difference over last year’s event was the timing of the show itself. Held in November, as opposed to a Spring performance, the Talent Showcase put the pressure on kids and parents alike to pull their acts together and get them ready in time. The amount of time between announcing the show, auditions and show night itself was the same, but things just seem to move along at a faster pace at this time of year. KPS families stepped up to the challenge, however, putting together some truly inspired performances.

Without the help and dedication of many people, events like this simply could not happen. Without the support of the teaching staff at KPS and our principal, Joan Pinkerton, the KPS Talent Showcase would still be in the wishful thinking phase. Thanks for this, and all that you do each day.

The KPSPTO executive board is well known for taking an idea and turning it into a success. From the logistics of securing the auditorium to making sure we had plenty of cookies and water bottles on hand, they went above and beyond their usual stellar efforts. The many volunteers, and our Volunteer Coordinator Vanessa Longo, make these kinds of things not only possible, but, truly enjoyable.

One of the toughest jobs is also one of the most rewarding. Arranging the performers, making sure that they get on and off stage safely and keeping them together is a big job, but Backstage Captains Laura Geoghegan and Patti Vetterman along with Cindy Briley and all of the moms who helped make sure their little ones were where they were supposed to be made it all look easy.

While the performers and the audience are what it’s all about, nothing happens without tech…sound, video, lights and stage managers. Our hats off to Paul Rotchford and Comcast for making time to air a bit of the show on channel 8. A big thank you to Ken Levy of DV North Studios for providing this year’s way cool video screen and stylistic camera work. Thanks to Bob Paradiso for the front row video..you da man! And an extra big shout out to the CHS AV club for volunteering their time, efforts and considerable knowledge of stagecraft to making this show so special for our kids.

Your KPSPTO undertakes these kinds of events for one reason…we’re parents of KPS kids and we want all of our kids to be happy, productive and continue on their educational paths with fond memories of how loved they are. When a group of kids pick a song, choreograph a dance number, rehearse it and then walk out on that stage and give it their all…we can all rest easy knowing that no matter how much effort, free time, phone calls, money and a bit of arm-twisting need to be put forth, it’s all worth it. Thanks for coming out…see you at the Snowflake Festival!