BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ - Berkeley Heights Education Association hosted a talent show fundraiser on April 9 in which faculty and staff from Governor Livingston High School, Columbia Middle School and Mountain Park Elementary School performed. 

The goal of ‘BHEA’s Got Talent’ was to increase contributions to fund student scholarships for Governor Livingston High School seniors planning to pursue a career in education when they graduate. The scholarship is awarded by the Berkeley Heights Education Association, the teacher’s union that supports faculty and staff employed by Berkeley Heights Public Schools. 

Cheryl Gillick, administrative assistant in the Attendance Office at the high school, aided in organizing the event. Gillick also serves as treasurer for the Berkeley Heights Education Association. 

She said, “Wrangling adults to participate can be difficult because they have so many different commitments, but we were able to get eight acts together of teachers and staff, with a variety of dancing, lip-syncing, and instrumental music. We additionally had students who volunteered to be emcees and judges.”

Performances included Emilia Nuvola, an Italian teacher at the high school and middle school, performing Russian folk song “Two Guitars”, Columbia Middle School faculty members Thomas Clayton, Patricia Hetherington, Peter Sempepos and Luke Wroblewski performing “Blackbird” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, former physical education teacher Beryl Roman performing “Killing Me Softly” by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack and Governor Livingston High School faculty Diana Cavanaugh, Josef Ellis, Nicholas O’Sullivan, and Vanessa Piwtoratsky performing “The Gloaming” arranged by Nicholas O’Sullivan. 

High school teachers Kayla Barry, Kelsey Cicchino, Lisa DeMarco, Lisa DiMaggio, Kimberly Fleming, Olivia Mazzaferro, Jeanne Ringwood and Staci Toporek performed an ‘80s medley featuring dancing and lip-syncing. They called themselves 1980s Ladies. Their act was choreographed by senior Jackie Harris, who met with the group during lunch periods to teach them the dance and rehearse.

DiMaggio, Spanish teacher,  said, “The rehearsals were a good workout, and it was fun to bond with my co-workers. I think the event was definitely a success overall.”

At the end of the night, all the performers participated in the finale: a rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. The audience got into the performance, singing and swaying along and using the flashlights on their phones to add mood lighting like at a concert.

Christine Talarico, English teacher at the high school, who performed “All for the Best”, a song and tap dance, with Joseph Miceli, mathematics teacher at Governor Livingston said, “My favorite moment of the night was when everybody in the audience lit up their cell phones and started waving them during the finale. I’ve never seen that image from a stage perspective. All throughout the night, I also loved hearing what the student judges had to say. Their comments were poised, kind, and graceful for each act, and they were all so well spoken.” 

As the adults were the ones performing, students took on other roles. Harris, senior Jack Wargaski and sophomore Grady Miranda served as the emcees of the evening. The judging panel, which critiqued the acts throughout the night, was made up of students from the high school and middle school: seniors Karolyn Chetirko, Maya Chhowalla and Samira Daoulabani and eighth graders Serena Gabara and Siena Gruendig.

Buckley said, “I loved the opportunity to judge the talent show because I got a front row seat to all of the acts. It was challenging to come up with something different to say for every act because they were all really amazing, but I think we did a good job.” 

The culmination of the event was the announcement of the winner, which was based on the volume of the audience’s cheers. The act which prompted the loudest applause was Summer’s Off, a cover band composed of Josef Ellis, Jenna Ellis, Dan Gilman, Scott Jonach and Joseph Laurino. Summer’s Off performed “Valerie” by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse and “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder arranged by Red Hot Chili Peppers. 

Josef Ellis, music teacher at the high school, said, “I was in band in high school and continued to perform music in college. While in college, I got to tour the United States with different groups, which I really enjoyed. Getting the opportunity to give back to the community by performing in the show was very exciting.”

Author : Gia Ghosh

Source Url : https://www.tapinto.net/towns/berkeley-heights/sections/education/articles/berkeley-heights-education-association-hosts-first-bhea-s-got-talent-fundraiser

News Source : https://www.tapinto.net/towns/berkeley-heights/sections/education/articles/berkeley-heights-education-association-hosts-first-bhea-s-got-talent-fundraiser