There were many moments worthy of the Golden Buzzer last weekend at the Castaic High School Performing Arts building, as students and staff members of the William S. Hart Union High School District took a chance to fulfill their dream and participate in the WiSH Education Foundation’s first-ever Hart District’s Got Talent Variety Showcase.
The first district-wide showcase entailed auditions, a full day of rehearsals, and the following talent:
- Forklift Certified, a band from Hart High School.
- Aakash Ahuja, a singer from Rio Norte Junior High.
- Isabelle Hefner, a dancer from Sierra Vista Junior High.
- Rebecca Heinisch, a singer from Arroyo Seco Junior High.
- Ella Vaughn, a martial artist from Castaic High School.
- Candy Nossair, a pianist from Rio Norte Junior High.
- Najee Berry and Kennedi Woods, a singer and dancer duo from Rancho Pico Junior High.
- Saga Mcwilson, a rapper from La Mesa Junior High.
- Nina Ripoll, a guitarist from Saugus High School.
- Rocio Benavides, a singer who’s a counselor at Bowman High School.
- Evan Betty, a magician from Academy of the Canyons.
- Keira Mann, a singer from Hart High School.
- Packiyalakshmi Ramalingam, a dancer from Rio Norte Junior High.
- Mason Gargoles, a dancer from La Mesa Junior High.
- Chance Nelson, a singer from Golden Valley High School.
- Juliette Teague, a pianist from Valencia High School.
- Kayla Hicks, a singer from Valencia High School.
WiSH, which was founded in 2011, has a mission of bridging “the gap in state education funding and [providing] student programs in the William S. Hart Union High School District,” according to the nonprofit’s website.
The board wanted to expand and host events for the 21,000 students in grades 7 to 12.
“We have two really big signature events throughout the year — Wine on the Roof and Cocktails on the Roof. They’re very 21-and-over related,” said Alex Hafizi, chairman of the board of WiSH. “We’re here to bridge the gap for funding that is not met by the district, so we decided to throw a talent show and allow all the kids from every single school in the Hart district to come out and show their talents.”
WiSH spread the word by creating a video to send to every Hart district school before the holidays explaining the event, as well as spreading fliers. Students and faculty could then submit a video showcasing their talents to audition by the end of January.
Selected students then rehearsed twice on March 12, with the help of mentors Terrell Edwards, CEO of Top Entertainment, Michael “Nomad” Ripoll, creator of The Career Musician podcast, and Danyelle “Lola” Sanders, performance coach and live event host for Monster Jam.
“We have sponsorships, we had ticket sales, a silent auction where people can bid on some fun stuff. We’re selling flowers, we’re selling little cards for the kids for the parents to sign and also candy bars,” Hafizi said. “Fun little ways for us to make a little bit of money on this and help the kids out. Everything that we make goes back into student programming.”
Vice Chair Christy Alben welcomed attendees and added closing remarks, and was the biggest source of inspiration for the event, according to Amy Daniels, executive director of WiSH.
“She used to run talent shows for 10 years in the elementary schools where her girls went and she said, ‘I would really like to do that,’” Daniels said. “And we said, ‘We’re all for it.’ It’s a wonderful family event. It was our first time so we knew this would be a learning opportunity. We have these kids who are outrageously courageous, and we’re here to celebrate them.”
Daniels expressed her gratitude for the community members who support WiSH’s events, despite how new or small, as well as local sponsors who donate to help host events like these.
“We love it when we can do an event that brings out our families and focuses on our students,” Daniels said. “We’re thrilled that there are kids who have all these hidden talents out there, some not so hidden, and they want to share it with everybody. So we’ve been really overwhelmed by the success of what we knew would be a small event for the first time.”
Hicks, a junior, who has been performing for over a year and joined theater her sophomore year of high school, geared up to perform “On My Own” from “Les Miserables.”
“I saw ‘Les Miserables’ at the Pantages Theatre a couple of months ago, and my mom recommended this song for me. It was my first time hearing the song. I really loved it and thought it fit really well with my voice,” Hicks said.
While Hicks can range from soprano to alto, she says her specialty is belting.
“I’m usually placed in the altos because I can be really loud, so a lot of my specialty is belting,” Hicks said. “I’m very excited. I love performing with all my heart, and I’m very happy about being able to perform any chance that I get.”
As for Hicks’ advice on performing?
“You shouldn’t be afraid to make a mistake, because being afraid of mistakes is being afraid of growth,” Hicks said.
