No matter how many people I meet and learn about from our school, I never cease to be amazed by the ocean of talent and originality flowing from them. Random Acts of Talent was the waterfall. It brought a motley of students, incredible in their own ways, and put together a packed and entertaining show.

One of the most impressive acts was junior Tommy Hendricks’ marimba solo. He trilled a self-composed piece titled “Artemis and Apollo.” Its playful notes circled each other, contrasting and complimenting. You could hear the twinkling starlight and blatant sunlight dancing through the song. Moreover, a marimba is such an uncommon instrument to see played that it was almost inexplicably enchanting.

Inexplicably enchanting seemed to be a common theme throughout the whole show; in fact, these were the exact words that came to mind during freshmen Gavin O’Meara, Emmalyn Holmquist, and Katie Hoffman’s performance of “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. Gavin and Emmalyn’s beautiful and heartwarming harmonies were perfect for their song selection. Accompanying their voices, Katie played the piano, and Gavin played the guitar. This musically-gifted trio had it all.

Senior Sam Boezwinkle’s solo performance of “Let Her Go” by Passenger is also more than worth mentioning. Throughout most of the song, he strummed the guitar along to the tune. For the last verse, Sam stopped. At that moment, you could feel it catch the attention of the entire audience. With only his soulful voice filling the auditorium, no one dared speak or breathe too loudly for fear of breaking the spell Sam’s music cast.

The best dance act was undoubtedly by sophomore Sam Musgraves. He was the closing act of the show and rightly so. Sam’s breakdancing amazed the crowd, to say the least. He flipped and twisted in ways that most people could only imagine a professional doing. In my opinion, this kid is a prodigy.

However, I would have loved to see a brother-sister act from him and his sister, senior Maddie Musgraves. Instead, Maddie danced for varsity dance’s unique JV vs Varsity Dance act. Along with Maddie, fellow seniors Alyssa Zadel, Rielly Nelhs, and Lindsey Lunt were also a part of the varsity team. Facing off against them in this comedy and dance mixed skit, seniors Noah Stout, Reena Mathews, Claire Baguley, and Grace Kline put up a good fight as the JV team. Complete with a “Meet The Team” introduction video, this act was hilarious and nothing like anything I’ve ever seen before.

But, the funniest act would have to be “African Honesty” by senior Brendan Wendlandt. His stand up comedy about his mixed familial background was so well thought out and perfect for everyone’s taste in humor. The thing that really struck me was how comfortable on stage he appeared to be. There was nothing forced about Brendan’s performance, and you could tell he is a genuinely funny guy.

It wasn’t just the acts that were entertaining. The first student host the show has ever had, senior Vaughn Rodriguez, made sure to keep the transitions captivating. Between talking about each performer, promoting the upcoming musical, and cracking jokes, Vaughn did a stellar job.

Before the show started, I noticed in the program under “Acknowledgments from ‘D’ ” it said, “Chudy & Anderson- for never letting go.” I didn’t quite understand what this meant until the show started. Every couple acts, the audience would be graced by the appearance by one or both of the chemistry teachers. Their random, amusing mini skits were probably one of the best parts of the show. I don’t think I’ll soon forget the sight of Mr. Chudy skateboarding on stage or dressed like a grandma.

When I say Random Acts of Talent had it all, I mean it. They even had videos produced by FX just for the occasion to play during transitions from act to act. Random Acts of Talent was everything its name suggests, which is only made better by the fact that the performers are your classmates. This show is an annual “must-see.” If you missed it this year, I highly suggest going next year.