by TaLeiza Calloway
news@thenewsleaders.com
Students packed the gym of Kennedy Community School recently to cheer on their peers as they wowed with their voices, executed smooth dance moves and cracked jokes.
The school held its fourth annual talent show June 1. It was hard to tell at times the performances that were so professional were coming from students in grades three through eight.
Hosted by students portraying Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, the “it” teen couple right now, the show featured more than 40 acts and included an appearance by the Kennedy Teacher Band, which played two songs for the crowd.
From dance routines, renditions of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me” and Adele’s “Someone Like You” to a string trio — including two violins and a cello — and a karate demonstration, talent crowds the halls of Kennedy Community School. Kennedy music teacher Joan Beaumont said the students practiced for three weeks in preparation for the show.
Some of the performances were about much more than merely entertaining. Siblings Christine, Maressa and Tyler Rudderforth sang a song entitled, “American Soldier” during the show. While the gym was filled with their peers, they were singing for someone who was unable to be there — their father, Jeff Rudderforth, who is serving in the U.S. Army. The trio took steps so he wouldn’t miss their tribute to him.
“We videotaped it so we can send it to him,” Christine said.
It was also nice the siblings could perform together as this is the last year they will all be in the same school, Beaumont said. Christine is an eighth-grader and is off to high school next year.