Fifth Graders Dazzle at Cleveland School Talent Show

The cafetorium at the Cleveland school was filled to capacity with enthusiastic students, parents and teachers Thursday evening as the lights went down to start the highly anticipated Fifth Grade Cleveland School Talent Show.

Fifth grade students, along with the help of their parents, have been working on the event for months. Ann Bamber, mother of fifth grader Rachel Bamber and head of the Fifth Grade Talent Show Committee, is the reason the event could happen.

The evening was dedicated to the Norwood Food Pantry. Proceeds from the event will help further fifth grade activities, while attendees were asked to bring non-perishable canned goods to support the Norwood Food Pantry. By evening's end the box for the Norwood Food Pantry was overflowing.

Fifth graders Sadie Krall and Rebecca Bamber, along with Kathy MacKenzie mother of fifth grader and backstage assistant Chrissy Mackenzie, greeted for the evening.

Delia Bartucca, Jessie Krall, and Chrissy MacKenzie made sure everything ran smoothly behind the scenes, while Meghan Pagilucia and Alyssa Naumann served as Act Coordinators.

The Cleveland fifth graders worked tirelessly throughout the evening from start to finish, whether selling snacks, judging or performing.

The evening opened with a warm welcome from the evening's emcees, fifth graders Frankie DeVingio and Thomas Gaeri.

The talent show was judged by fifth graders Victoria Mullen, Rachel Bamber, Olivia Haguland along with Cleveland School librarian Paula McMullen and school nurse Mary Canniff. Scoring was conducted in three categories - entertainment, level of difficulty and how well the performers did overall.

Principal Scott Williams was “thrilled and excited."

Fifth grader Gabriel Labell opened the show with an original piano piece. In the acts that followed, the audience saw a freestyle drummer, a gymnast, an Irish step dancer, and a few comedy acts. Nick Pentowski won the crowd over with such jokes as, “How did a square become a circle? He cut the corners!” Fourth grader Pentowski looked at the crowd with a smile and said, “I know that one cracks me up too.”

Third graders Hailey Roberts and Julia Cropper were the first to take to the microphone, singing Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me.” Hailey’s three-year-old sister Emma yelled, “Go Hailey” the minute the curtain opened and she saw her big sister on stage.

Throughout the evening girls and boys took to the stage dancing, singing, and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Principal Scott Williams honored each participant with a certificate for “their creative performance and gallant effort to entertain us.”

The Awesomely Awesome Kids, otherwise known as fifth graders Shane Foley, Ryan Crowley, Michael Sobchuk and Michael Georgoulopoulos took home the trophy for best act. The boys ignited the cafetorium with energy and laughter as they danced to Chris Brown’s "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" and brought everyone to their feet.  Prior to the show these friends since third grade said, they hoped their act would be fun and funny.

The night was a success across the board.