Pelham High Seniors Show Off Their Skills at Talent Show

Laughter was in abundance as the audience in the auditorium watched their senior class display an array of talents at this year’s talent show Senior Night Live, similar to the popular late night show Saturday Night Live.

The class of 175 students started planning last night and tonight’s performance in December with the help of three teachers, Steve Beltecas, Jon Totillo and Leo Pena. After deciding on their theme, they started writing the scripts in January, said Beltecas, a science teacher and one of the senior class advisors.

“Myself with Mr. Pena and Mr. Totillo would be here every single night and we would try to help take the ideas that they developed and further enhance them and try to make them a little funnier for the older crowd, not just for the students, because a lot of them have a lot of inside jokes with the students,” Beltecas said. “We want to make sure we encompass everybody and [make sure] everything is funny.”

Peter Manos, senior class president, is playing Beltecas in some of the skits. “He is known as a funny guy around school, always joking around and we’re making fun of him in the talent show. Just a couple of laughs and that’s it,” Manos said.

Manos is excited about the event that his father participated in when he was senior. “I’m looking forward to coming together as a grade to put on a great production of a show that we’ve work so hard to produce,” he said.

Beltecas doesn’t mind being spoofed at all. He’s been looking forward to the performance for some time. “I’ve been excited about the whole experience," he said. "It’s just an amazing opportunity to know the students in a different light and it really forms a nice bond between the supervisors and the students, and then the students with the students.”

Totillo, who has been part of the show's directing team for 11 years, said he enjoyed the whole process of making the event happen. His favorite moment has been working with students he normally wouldn’t have worked with and seeing what they can do.

“It’s amazing to see how far they’ve come. Most of the students in the class have never done anything like this so to have them all come together as a class and display their talents in various different ways is amazing,” Totillo said. “To see them come from nothing up to two hours worth of entertaining is really rewarding.”

Pena, the other senior class advisor, said everything came together at dress rehearsal the night before. “We rehearsed basically every skit. So to see that coming altogether was amazing and not only that but to see the talent of the kids is just incredible because we see them as a student in the classroom and we forget about their talent and whatever else they can do outside the classroom. It’s amazing,” he said.

The students acted out scenes they imagined, including teacher meetings, how some of their teachers were hired, and the ettiquette of using the girls' bathroom. Students also performed numerous dancing, singing and musical numbers, such as a rendition of the songs "Monster," "Time Warp," "Whip My Hair" and raps spoofing  Adam Samberg's popular tunes from SNL. They also produced their own versions of "Weekend Update" and "The Lawrence Welk Show" Sister Act performance.

The crowd was surprised to see the range of students' talents, including a martial arts performance, a juggling act, a fencing demostration and even a hula hoop act.

"You got to have a little surprise. I think the big thing is that the kids show a lot of talent that you wouldn’t know, like the young lady with the hula hops. You think, wow that’s pretty good, actually that’s really really good you know," said parent Larry Blagman.

He was also surprised and impressed by the male students who came out in sparkly wigs and tights during the "Whip My Hair" dance routine. 

“I thought the guys had a lot of guts wearing wigs and tights but I think they had a lot of fun doing it," Blagman said. "And it looks like they’re all having a good time and enjoying themselves, so that’s good.”

His wife Barbara was just excited to see the kids perform.

“I’m anxious to see it all. I’ve known most of these kids since kindergarten. It’s a small community,” she said.

Denise Garvey, another PMHS senior parent, said her daughter was very excited to participate and that the shows at the school are usually "a lot of fun."

“I think she’s excited about it and to be with her friends and to have a great evening,” Garvey said of her daughter.

Angela Shriman, a student who performed in a number of skits and in the Lady Gaga medley with her friend Paige Okotie Uro, was nervous at first but ended up having a blast.

"I was one of the first three acts so I was very nervous. But once that shook off and I just had fun,” she said. "It’s a lot of fun. I’m really enjoying this. I think this is the closest I’ve seen our grade in years. It’s amazing. It’s an awesome feeling to be up there and doing what we love doing and living on the legacy of all the other people who have done this before us."

Okotie Uro was estastic backstage, as geared up for her performances. She participated in a number of dances and music numbers in the show.

“Yes, I’m having so much fun. I love it,” she said. “It’s everything and more. It’s just like you see everybody and we’re all connected and we’re watching the skit and we’re like, ‘Yes!’”

The students had a TV backstage where they could watch their fellow classmates perform as they waited for their turn on the stage.

The night ended with a photo slideshow of the seniors from the time they were toddlers to their last year at their high school. The audience laughed and sighed along with the students as they watched them grow up.

Everyone cheered by the end of the night, happy with their first performance. Saturday will be their last SNL production, but this is only the beginning of more fun before the year is over.

"It really springboards other events going on like the Olympics," Beltecas said. "Later on we’re going to be doing the senior carnival near the end of the school year and senior prom and then graduation. So it’s just the beginning of a bunch of nice events for the students.”