It was an evening of thrills and shrills, song, dance and the odd Nemo head.
By the time Flagler’s three-hour version of American Idol was over Tuesday at the Flagler Auditorium, Wadsworth Elementary’s Sophia Paterno Peper was named Flagler County’s Youth Entertainer of the Year in the junior division, and Caitlin Hanna, Zack Harris and Jeff McDevitt of Flagler Palm Coast High School took the honor in the senior division for their performance of “Take Each Day,” a song written by McDevitt.
For McDevitt, a prolific songwriter, and Hanna, the victory isn’t yet the end of a very good month for their stage conquests: Later this month the pair, along with fellow-FPC student Boyd Fulmer, will represent Florida in the 85-singer choir of the National Honor Ensembles in performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
The “Entertainer of the Year” award was started last year. This year’s edition was the first time the competition was broken down into a junior and senior division, with performers from kindergarten to 6 grade in the junior division. That was done because in previous years, younger students were at a vast disadvantage when classed against older, more polished performers. “Each year,” Massaro said, “it’s gotten bigger and bigger.”
Taking second place in the junior division was Daniel Dillard of Bunnell Elementary for dancing to “Wall to Wall.” Third place went to Cassidy VanBrink of Imagine School, for her rendition of “Tomorrow.” In the senior division, second place went to Abigail Recker of Palm Coast High School, for singing and performing “My Head.” Haley Emery of Matanzas High School won third place for singing “Only Hope.” You can watch a complete video of the acts in their auditions at the Youth Center, below, above the chart.
Twenty-five acts performed. The judges were Carol Ogg, Sherry Bach, Vincent Checchi, and Trevor Tucker, a school board member. (See the chart below for a complete list of performers by school.)
The fifth annual Spotlight on Flagler Youth talent show was organized by Cheryl Massaro, director of the Flagler County Youth Center, the joint county-school board operation that gives local students a place to go after school. The Youth Center, whose turnstiles turn about 20,000 times a year (there are no actual turnstiles there, but you get the idea), is located on the campus of Flagler Palm Coast High School. The talent show is a fund-raiser for the organization, which is also funded through an annual $100,000 grant from the county and staffed by the school board.
The senior trio’s song by McDevitt caught the evening’s mood:
You have to hold on to each day as it comes
You got to go far …you got to go high… you got to reach the sky
Watch the audition montage:
Spotlight on Flagler 2010: All the Performers and Winners
| Students | School | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Entertainer of the Year Sophia Paterno Peper | Wadsworth Elementary | Singing "Battlefield" |
| Second Place Daniel Dillard | Bunnell Elementary | Dancing "Wall to Wall" |
| Third Place Cassidy VanBrink | Imagine School | Singing "Tomorrow" |
| Gabby Barton and Cassie Ventura | Old Kings Elementary | Hip-hop dance routine |
| Michael Taubin and Joshua Hernandez | Wadsworth Elementary | Dancing to "Low" |
| Hope Hodges | Belle Terre Elementary | Singing "This is Me" |
| Gennie Subeck, Kayla, Sarah and Drew Dance | Bunnell Elementary | Jukido demonstration |
| Gustavo Ramos, Anthony and Paul Schettino | Indian Trails Elementary and Rymfire Elementary | Rock and roll instrumental |
| Ariana Amara | Old Kings Elementary | Singing "Hallelujah" |
| Daviana Campbell | Home-schooled | Singing "Good Morning Baltimore" |
| Athena and Simone Gonzalez | Wadsworth Elementary | Rapping "Me I Us" |
| Mya Reeves | Old Kings Elementary | Singing "Landslide" |
| Entertainers of the Year Caitlan Hanna, Zack Harris, and Jeff McDevitt | Flagler-Palm Coast High School | Singing and playing "Take Each Day as it Comes" |
| Second Place Abigail Recker | Flagler-Palm Coast High School | Singing and playing "My Head" |
| Third Place Haley Emery | Matanzas High School | Singing "Only Hope" |
| Sebastian Gutierrez and Friends | Flagler-Palm Coast High School | Instrumental "Mario Ensemble" |
| Angela DeZego | Indian Trails Middle School | Singing "Catch Me" |
| Kimberlie Howe | Indian Trails Middle School | Singing "A Thousand Miles" |
| Jessica Kulwicki | Indian Trails Middle School | Dancing to "Your Guardian Angel" |
| Megan Rutunno | Indian Trails Middle School | Singing "Don't Rain on My Parade" |
| Jonathan Weaver | Flagler-Palm Coast High School | Playing "The Ocean" |
| Amanda Hopkins | Matanzas High School | Singing and playing "Out of this Town" |
| Brandon Micalizzi and Iago Horta | Flagler-Palm Coast High School | Singing and playing "Cemeteries of London" |
| Molly Snow | Flagler-Palm Coast High School | Singing and playing "System Overload" |
| Ebony Bartley | Flagler-Palm Coast High School | Singing "Through the Rain" |
