Masters of Ceremonies sophomore Rollin Rocket and junior McKay Mayfield opened Starr Search, this year’s student talent show, with a few jokes just to get the crowd, filled with students and parents, rolling.

Dr. John Odom, the choral director, said that the talent show went well. “The talent was amazing,” Odom said.

The first performer of the night, freshman Morgan Beck, started with some technical difficulties. Even though her mic wasn’t working, she continued to sing. Once the mic was working and everyone could hear her, she played her guitar and sang an inspirational rendition of “Parachute” by Ingrid Michaels.

Freshman Alayna Burdekin was scheduled to go next, but freshman Ginny Gray went in her place because of more technical difficulties. Burdekin’s music wasn’t working, and she continued to smile through it as someone’s cry from the sound booth, “One moment please,” was met with laughter.

Gray’s performance of “The Wizard and I” from “Wicked” started with a confused look as her mic wasn’t working as well, but once she settled in, she owned the stage in her black floor length dress. Her impressively long notes seemed to go on forever as she didn’t run out of breath.

On her second try, Burdekin’s performance of  Mandy Moore’s “Only Hope” was touching in the way that she gently captured the audience’s attention.

Freshman Olivia Crew, wearing a silver top, black pants, and a slicked back ponytail, wowed the crowd with her dance moves to “Break Free” by Ariana Grande. Her performance created an urge to tap one’s feet as she showcased her flexibility by doing multiple splits in her routine and her balance by doing dizzying pirouettes.

Next up, sophomore Cali Gaynor sang Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” as she played her acoustic electric guitar. Before her performance, Rocket and Mayfield told the audience Gaynor had recently started to play guitar, but Gaynor showed no signs of being a novice.

Freshman Jessica Holle and junior Helena Resleer sang the song that  tends to get stuck in your head, “The Hanging Tree” from “Mockingjay Part 1.” The girls seemed hesitant at first, but as soon as they found their niche, they became more relaxed and confident.

After their performance, Rocket and Mayfield walked out to introduce Cara Clements with their hands in the air forming the “Mockingjay” symbol. Clements performed Jason Walker’s “Down.” At first she was lost in her music stationed at her mic, but then she started to roam the stage, still lost in her music.

Junior Alexa Exhevarria and junior Anna Hall sat in chairs as they sang “Freedom” from “The Unauthorized autobiography of Samantha Brown.” The chairs they were sitting in were meant to represent car seats as they were driving towards freedom.

After a lengthy intermission, the curtains rolled back, and occupying the stage was not only a contestant but also a full sized piano. Junior Hollyn Shadinger sang Carrie Underwood’s “I Know You Won’t” in a white floor length dress and took the audience’s breath away.

Junior Makayla Brooks performed “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley. Brooks had total control over her dynamic levels even though this was her first solo performance.

Freshman Luke Miyazaki played Pink Floyd’s “Crazy” on his electric guitar. His amp was set up right by the mic so the audience could hear him loud and clear. Dressed in a black T-shirt, jeans, and chains, Miyazaki rocked out with several hair flips along with dramatic swings of his guitar.

Junior Alyssa Olvera gave a soft but emotional performance of “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The next performer, senior Sydney Johnson, offered members of the audience a warm embrace as the rain came down in buckets outside while she sang Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love.”.

Freshman Jo Dearman had some technological troubles, but her performance of  “For Good” from “Wicked” captured and held the attention of all of the audience members.

Senior Erica Lantz was lost in her music as she sang Grace Potter’s “Stars.”

They always say, “Save the best for last.”  These boys may not have been the best, but they certainly won the crowd over. Members of Boys Time Out, juniors Mason Mascara, Dhruva Jandhyala, Will Sanders, Logan Smith, and sophomore Carter Rogers, started their performance with voice overs from someone who wasn’t on the stage. Then, out of nowhere, the singer, Mascara, appears and rips off his shirt. The song that they performed, “Shockwave,” was original written by the members of the band. When their song came close to an end, Mascara jumped off the stage and ran through the crowd. The end of their performance was followed by much laughter and applause.

Along with the competitors, there were several groups that performed as well. An Octave Above, a women’s acappella jazz choir, sang “Pink Panther” and “Hallelujah,” wearing black with dashes of pink.

Sarah Door and Hanna Johnson won the middle school talent show. Also from the middle school, Lauren Ross rocked the high school stage with her powerful vocals.

Rocket and Mayfield’s matching bow ties were explained as they joined the Men of the Mill, a men’s chorus. After their performance, all of the performers ran off stage except for junior Davis Murphy, who did an impression of Porky Pig before he too exited the stage.

Quickly after the Men of the Mill’s performance, the winners were announced. Rocket and Mayfield announced Gray as the winner of People’s Choice Award with a cash prize of $50.  Third place and $50 went to Lantz. Crew won $75 for second place. Shadinger took first place and $100.

“When I won the talent show, I was shocked. I wasn’t expecting it, and I was super excited,” Shadinger said. “It took lots of practicing and hard work, and it had all paid off.”

The talent show drew a variety of talents even though most were in the realm of music. Twenty acts tried out and 16 performed. Odom wished that there was a better response to it though.

“What most people don’t realize is that this is the main fundraiser for the Chorus scholarship program,” Odom said.