Politik plays in B&P’s talent show, appeasing a sea of attentive ears.

Laguna Beach High School is filled with talent. Everywhere you turn, there is a talented musician, brilliant writer, or gifted dancer. Unfortunately, there are few opportunities for these students to share their talents. Still, the Journalism department provided a space for them to be noticed and share their skills with the rest of the school and community. 

On Friday night, January 26, a crowd of students filled the theater. There was a buzz of excitement from both the audience and staff backstage. Journalism students needed to make a certain amount of money to keep publishing articles on their website. The goal was a stretch, but it seemed possible with support from the school. With around 185 tickets sold, the goal was exceeded with flying colors! The journalism class can now continue to publish their articles for everyone to read and continue some new and exciting projects.  

Although no one (except Nadia Cavka and her beautiful spoken word performance about her little sister) from the Brush and Palette staff performed, they still found ways to entertain the audience. The creative students made hilarious TikTok’s to express their love for journalism, which were shown between acts and got big laughs from the audience. From dancing to funny skits, the journalism staff added a special touch that made the show seem like it came from the heart. 

Most people overlook the months of hard work needed to be put in for events like these. The journalism staff, especially Chole Falk and Beatrice Loo, the leaders of the social media department, have been working tirelessly to ensure that the show ran smoothly. They organized the show for months by ensuring the acts were set, the theater was booked, and they were responsible for raising publicity. They were an essential factor in the success of the talent show. Let’s hear a little about the performers and their passions.    

Nikki Cohen was one of the six girls on the LBHS cheer team who performed a group dance number. She highlighted the importance of this opportunity to perform in front of her community and how it allows her to gain extra credit and community service hours; “[I] love performing on stage… and spending time with [my] team to have a bonding experience.” The talent show was a way to showcase everyone’s talents, and for Nikki, it allowed her to express her passion for cheer. 

Zoey Bond has been playing the guitar for three years, and she thought it would be fun to gain experience playing in front of a larger crowd. She sang four Beatles medley songs that related to her life and represented an aspect of her that she wanted to show. She’s been playing for a long time and wanted to gain awareness for her passions by partaking in the talent show. Bond revealed her talents in the Brush and Palette talent show and hoped to show everyone what the Beatles mean to her. 

Malia Cherie has always been involved in talent shows because she loves to express her passions. She sang “Lucky” by Brittany Spears, dedicating this act as “a tribute to her childhood.” Lucky has been her favorite song since she can remember, and she wants to pursue the arts and continue her music career. “By partaking in the talent show, [I] can learn more about [my] passions and pursue arts and music.” Cherie’s outstanding act got the crowd clapping in unison to the beat.

We heard from a third of the overall acts who participated in the talent show. Everyone put in their hard work and presented a great show, spreading awareness of their passions. There was a great turnout, which helped the Brush and Palette class keep shining and growing. For future B&P talent shows, we hope to continue progressing and raise more and more funds for our program; the staff are forever grateful to those who participated in the talent show.