TOWAMENCIN- The auditorium had an aura of excellence as a variety of North Penn students showcased their talents on Friday night. Emceed by Steven Sokolowski, Liam McKee, and Liz Jebran, the 2016 North Penn Talent Show was full of mastery as twelve acts entertained fellow peers, parents, relatives, and faculty members.

The night began with a magical routine by Anastasia Dziekien, who got the crowd “oohing and aahing” with her mind-blowing illusions and quick-change artistry. Next were musical performances by Kayla Hartnett and “Orvilla” (Mikey Oscar and Steven Schenk), respectively. Dan Wescoe then made the most of his performance by performing an original dance to the song Five More Hours by Deorro and Chris Brown. Kieran Bates and Casey Killoren wrapped up Act I with their guitar/singing duet.

“The Leading Strand”, who later took first place, kicked off Act II by adding an orchestral twist to some of the year’s most popular songs. Kalle Cooper then elegantly serenaded the audience as Jonathan Klaus provided some comedic relief with voice impersonations right after. “JMK” ft. Mikey Oscar got the crowd dancing with their upbeat rap performance. Next came the “Pocket Monsters” who made their performance one to remember by break-dancing in animal onesies. Jamie Devine then closed the show by projecting her voice and touching the audience with a song important to her with the accompaniment of Grace Pekala on the piano.

As the show came to a close, audience members were urged to cast a vote for their favorite act of the night. While audience members voted by texting in their choices, the first place winner from last year, Sarah Rubenstein, made a special appearance and kept the audience entertained during voting by singing and accompanying herself on guitar and cajon drum. Although all the performances were outstanding, one group stood out exceptionally. “The Leading Strand” took first place, with Jamie Devine second, and Jonathan Klaus third.

“I’m feeling ecstatic right now,” expressed senior Neil Goh, a member of “The Leading Strand.” “It took us 3 years [to win first place] but before the results came out, we all huddled up and were like ‘no matter what, it was a fun night’, but we also won so that was a nice addition. We were a little nervous going on. I kind of messed up in the middle of it, but I kept going on and just forgot about it because I was having so much fun.”