Performing Down Sesame Street—The Middle School Talent Show

During February, anticipation built for one of the most exciting events of the Middle School year at MICDS—the annual Talent Show. For weeks leading up to the show, grade-level acts performed, vying for a top spot to share their talents with the full fifth through eighth-grade Rams community. A final grouping of the top three to four acts per grade level made it to the final show, which was held in Mary Eliot Chapel last Friday, February 27.

This year’s Middle School Talent Show theme of Sesame Street set the bright and colorful tone for a fun, upbeat showcase. Students and teachers alike were seen decked out in the bright primary colors of Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Elmo, and the rest of the Sesame Street characters. The decorations were just as colorful—the Community Leadership Committee (CLC) framed the entrance to the Middle School Dining Hall with colorful balloons, they decorated the chapel stage and audience area, and the entire day overflowed in a rainbow of talented possibilities.

Once the chapel was packed to the brim with excited students, parents and siblings of the performers, faculty, and staff, CLC members—Daphne Skemer ’30, Fletcher Davis ’30, Betsy Branca ’31, Angela Yang ’31, Quinn Estes ’32, Genny Molamphy ’32, Edie Spitzfaden ’33, and Alice Sedgwick ’33—enthusiastically emceed the afternoon’s 2026 Middle School Talent Show. From tap dancing, singing, and piano to Rubik’s cube solving, fun instrumentals, and a band, the performers blew the audience away. Congratulations to all of our student performers who shared their wonderful acts!

PERFORMER(S)	ACT
Millicent Kuchar ’33 & Wesley Sherman ’33	Tap Dancing – Money Money Money by Abba
Nick Leonard ’33	Singing & Piano – Scientist by Coldplay
Terrence Saddler ’33, Matias Gomez ’33, & Grant McGinness ’33	Band FIISH (Singing, Keyboard, & Drums) – Separate Ways by Journey
Laila Noble ’32	Piano – Sonatina in C Major
Marisol ’32 & Rosie Kelley ’30	Singing Duet – Locked Away by CG5
Adiya Zei ’32	Piano – Arabesque by D Karp
Angela Yang ’31	Piano – Arabesque No. 1 by Claude Debussy
Antoine Laforest-Jing ’31	Rubik’s Cube Solving
Owen Padratzik ’31	Piano – Dichotomy of Dreams and Nightmares by Owen Padratzik ’31
A. Bierman ’30 & Ashna Jain ’30	Keyboard Accordion &Violin – Kiss Me, Son of God by They Might Be Giants
Marie Corley ’30	Singing with Piano – Kaleidoscope by Chappell Roan
Johanna Sanchez ’30 & Aarushi Gokulakrishnan ’30	Singing and Piano – Feeling Good by Michael Bublé
Kaetlyn Smith ’30, Laura Almeida ’30, & Jemima Tzeng ’30	Singing, Piano, & Violin – Turning Tables by Adele

In case you missed it, watch the full recording of the 2026 MICDS Middle School Talent Show here!

Four highly-esteemed judges—Middle School PE Teacher & Director of Aquatics Programs & Facilities Khannie Dastgah, Associate Director of Middle School Admission Kerry Bryan, Middle School Counselor Erin Sutherlin, and a Middle School English Teacher were assigned the very challenging task of critiquing the performances and determining the winners. They judged on the level of difficulty, accuracy, audience appeal, and originality. A HUGE congratulations to the winners in the following categories:

Best Variety Act: Fiish: Terrence Saddler, Grant McGinnis, Matias Gomez
Best Instrumental: Angela Yang
Best Originality: Owen Padratzik
Best Vocal Performance: Marie Corley
Best Group: Kaetlyn Smith, Laura Almeida, & Jemima Tzeng
Best In Show: Johanna Sanchez & Aarushi Gokulakrishnan

Students could also participate in a contest for best dressed by grade level. Congratulations to Best Dressed winners Kaetlyn Smith ’30, David Keech ’30, Henry Sharp ’31, Jasmine Bell ’31, Adiya Zei ’32, Sammy Weil ’32, Ava Chahla ’33, and Ryder Burke ’33.

The audience had an absolute blast along this MICDS version of Sesame Street—loving each fifth through eighth-grade stop along the talent-filled road. “I was so blown away with the level of talent the students brought this year,” exclaimed Jason Roberts, Arts Department – Middle School Music & Director of ASAP. “We had so many great performances. Johanna and Arushi absolutely blew me away!”

Ms. Bryan’s favorite MICDS event is the Middle School Talent Show. “Every single year, I look forward to the talent show. It is handsdown my favorite annual tradition at MICDS!” she shared. She remarked on how fun it is to watch the students onstage, some of them for multiple years in a row, while knowing each of their backstories. “We have seen them grow so much during their time in the Middle School, and seeing them shine onstage brings us so much joy,” she commented. “I also love the way our students cheer on their classmates; it really is a vibrant celebration of community!”

A Big Bird-sized thank you goes to all who helped make the talent show such a success! Our CLC members, Mr. Roberts, and Kelly Walsh, Middle School English Teacher, did a phenomenal job in setting up and running the show. The performers did an excellent job of dazzling the audience after all of their hard work in preparing for their performances. Elika Coff ’30 did a great job managing the lighting needs, and Ms. Walsh managed the sound and tech needs. The judges completed their impossible challenge of choosing the winners. There are also countless members to thank behind the scenes for prepping the chapel and encouraging each student who was part of this year’s show. “There are many moving pieces to make a show like this happen, and the hard work behind the scenes by the CLC and Ms. Walsh are what made the show such a success,” Mr. Roberts added. “I loved the theme, and it was such a fun day!”