On Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, a crowd of students and supporters nearly filled the Berkeley High School Florence Schwimley Little Theater to watch the annual Talent Show. The program featured music, dance, rapping, and even stand up comedy. Production ran smoothly from beginning to end on account of the BHS sophomore leadership team, who put in a considerable amount of effort beforehand organizing and promoting the event. They incentivized students to perform by giving away BHS homecoming tickets, recording 18 signups and 11 acts in total. Furthermore, they posted numerous school bulletins and Instagram campaigns to attract audience members and fill the theater.
BHS sophomore Jax Remington McLeod found the show and the audience to be high-energy and entertaining. “The energy was lit,” Remington McLeod said, “The rappers were so heat too.”
BHS rappers freshman Dakarai Hayes and senior Teiji Lackey, going by stage names “Cashcari” and “Lul Tie,” respectively, animated the crowd with lines like: “You gotta put that stuff to action, I got separate calculations for my money, it’s in fractions.” Alongside them was a special appearance from the Director of Student Activities John Villavicencio. Previously a math teacher, Villavicencio dropped a few bars of his own about graphing.
Backstage, Villavicencio reflected on the show, praising the audience, saying “The fans and the people in the audience are always really supportive.”
Accompanying Villiavicencio onstage was BHS senior Pheona Bun Vongphachanh, keeping the rhythm with her beatboxing skills. In the final act, she sang “From This Moment On” by Shania Twain, dedicating it to her mother. Afterwards she felt bittersweet, “It’s my last Talent Show because I’m a senior. I was really nervous,” she said. She elaborated on the song’s connection to her mother, saying, “When I was younger, she would always sing that song to me, and when I got old enough to a point where I could talk, it became our song.”
The show also included multiple dance performances. Freshmen Arielle Daniel, Priya Johnson, and Lucy Bouvet sang and danced to “Gabriela” by KATSEYE. Later in the show, Dance Club members sophomores Yinsha Weng and Lin Reid, and juniors Mariana Hidalgo and Mila Rabara took the stage by storm with a well-choreographed performance. While every dancer showed off their individuality, it was the organization of them together that completed the show.
The Talent Show accomplishes what it set out to be: a special evening that brings the BHS community closer. Hopefully in future years, it will become even more established in BHS culture.