 |
| Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins Nick Levesque, at left, and Jordan Bevins, juniors at Caribou High School, gave a stirring performance of “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith during this year’s second annual “So You Think You’ve Got Talent” competition held Friday. The Caribou Performing Arts Center event raised $1,600 for the Class of 2017. |
By Theron Larkins
Staff Writer
Caribou High School’s Class of 2017 hosted their second annual “So You Think You’ve Got Talent” showcase at the Caribou Performing Arts Center on Friday, Nov. 14. This year’s sophomore class, along with help from class advisors Pat Sterris, planned the event to not only raise money for the class, which they did in the amount of $1,600, but also to showcase the area’s local talent.
According to Sterris, the class put a great deal of time and effort into coordinating such a large show, which included a total of 14 acts. Different from last years inaugural talent show, this year the class of 2017 decided to open the showcase up to local talent of all ages, rather than simply students from Caribou High School. This allowed for a much more diverse showcase.
“Along with the class officers and individual members of the class, we planned the event,” said Sterris. “It showcased local talent from the area and at the same time worked as a fund-raiser for the sophomore class.”
After last years successful “So You Think You’ve Got Talent” showcase, it was up to the current sophomore class to raise the bar even higher.
“The class was thrilled to host local talent,” Sterris added. “We put together a great group of talented individuals of various ages. The class sponsored the event again this year because of the positive response we received from the community last year. We are already lining up acts for next year!”
Sterris also mentioned how important she felt events like these were to not only the future of the class of 2017, but for the community as a whole.
“It’s important to hold events like these because it gives the community an opportunity to see and hear local acts perform live. We had a great mix this year, with community members and students,” said Sterris.
This year’s event was emceed by Josh Verhoff, who is the sophomore class president and Samantha Fortin, who is also a member of the Class of 2017.
“The best part was the audience’s receptiveness to the talent,” said Sterris. “They were very appreciative of the performers. For many of our performers it was their first time in front of an audience and they were very nervous, but across the board the audience was very appreciative.”
For some performers, the prospect of being on stage in front of what was nearly a packed house, can be quite daunting. However, Caribou High School senior Ashley Cote, who sang the song “Waves” by Mr. Probz, is quite used to the spotlight. For Cote, the opportunity to showcase her talent, while also helping raise money for her fellow students was something she was more than willing to participate in.
“I enjoy taking part in community events like this, because there isn’t much left for students to do around here, and I think it’s a great way to bring community members closer together,” said Cote. “The talent show was a fundraiser for the Class of 2017, and although I’m part of the Class of 2015, it feels great to be able to help raise money for the sophomore class. I’m very proud of all the amazing acts who took part in the event this year, and I can guarantee it means a great deal to the Class of 2017 to have $1,600 added to their class funds.”
When asked if performing in front of such a large crowd was intimidating for Cote, she responded as if it was something she’d been doing her whole life, and in part, she has been.
“Surprisingly, performing in front of a crowd is something I’ve gotten used to,” said Cote. “I’ve been a cheerleader for seven years now, and we are always performing in front of large crowds, whether our performance is at a game or a competition.”
Cote also participated in the talent show last year, so she had a vivid picture of how the event has changed and how they have opened their doors to acts of all ages and talents.
“I participated in the talent show last year, and fortunately this year it was open to people of all ages in the community, not just students. If the talent show is open to all community members next year, I’ll definitely be participating again. If not, I’ll gladly help organize it.”
Cote also spoke about how much of a passion singing and performing has been for her, as far back as she can remember.
“Singing is the biggest passion I have. I’m actually planning to attend college to major in music performance and songwriting. I’ve been singing and writing songs since I was eight years old. It’s been 10 years and my love for music only grows stronger,” said Cote. “Singing and performing helps build confidence and prepares me for the future, as I hope to one day become a singer in the music industry. I believe that with the right song and lyrics, I hopefully can inspire others to go out there and chase their dreams, whatever they may be. It doesn’t matter if you’re from a small town, if you set your mind to it, anything is possible.”
After all the votes for this year’s “So You Think You’ve Got Talent” showcase were counted, the winners were announced. Caribou High School juniors Elijah Verhoff and Maria Espinosa claimed this year’s first place prize with their performance of the song, “Amnesia” by the band 5 Seconds of Summer.
 |
| Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins Ashley Cote, a senior at Caribou High School, performs the song “Waves” by Mr. Probz during this year’s second annual “So You Think You’ve Got Talent” showcase. |
 |
| Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins Steve Mazzerole of Caribou performs “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban during this year’s second annual “So You Think You’ve Got Talent” competition. Margaret Cyr accompanied Mazzerole on piano. |
 |
| Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins Keith Ouellette of Caribou performs a song by Toby Keith. |
