OLHMS was ecstatic to host the 11th annual Variety Show event on Thursday, April 11th! Variety Show is entertainment that consists of different acts, which typically include musical performances, comedy acts, and much more. At OLHMS, our Variety show is a show created by kids intended for kids. Every year, the proceeds from the Variety Show go to a children's foundation chosen by OLHMS students. In the past, OLHMS students have decided to donate proceeds to the Ronald McDonald House, Illinois Burn Camp for Children, Feed My Starving Children, Live Like Abby, and several other children organizations. Similar to last year, our OLHMS students decided to donate proceeds to Cradles for Crayons, an organization that helps children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive.
For our 11th annual Variety Show, tryouts were held and students were judged by a panel of OLHMS teachers and staff members. This year, we have a mixture of all grade-level students performing musical solos, a cultural dance, a comedy routine, and much more. Mr. Weber and his son, Charlie, had a special and heartfelt performance together where they played an original called “Scattered.” There was a surprise performance that our audience members went wild for- our OLHMS Staff put on a great show of “Take Me Home, Country Road,” but with an OLHMS twist.
Before Mateo M., a 6th grade student, went up to perform “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton, he captured the audience’s attention with a thoughtful message. Mateo said, “Before I begin, I just want to thank all the OLHMS Staff members who helped make this Variety Show possible. I was going to ask a question, but I’m pretty sure 99% of you guys have been enjoying all the incredible talent we have in our school, right?!” The audience went wild! After all the cheering, Mateo performed “Tears in Heaven” so beautifully to a point where audience members were crying.
After Variety Show was done, Lucas, an 8th grade student, was asked what the Variety Show meant to him, he said “Variety Show means everything to me! It’s an opportunity for my peers and I to display our talents and to showcase our school.”
Our program and tickets featured Ethan H. And Isara A.’s beautiful artwork. Thank you to our sponsors, Ms. Kennedy, and Ms. Edwards; our Audition Judges, Ms. Hughes, Mrs. Julien, Ms. O’Connor, and Ms. Shields; our Production Technical Crew, Joseph C., Jordan W., and Ezekiel F.; our Stage Crew, Emily M., Haley K., Hannah N., and Connor N.; and our Art Direction, Mrs. Harrington and Ms. Petraitis for their hard work and dedication to make our 11th annual Variety Show a success!