Upper Primary Years Students Showcase Their Talents in SC’s PYP Got Talent

The Primary Years Program (PYP) Student Council (SC) hosted its first-ever PYP Got Talent showcase last March 21 from 8:00 am to 10:00 am in the school auditorium.

The PYP Got Talent was a talent show open to Grades 4 to 6 students who wanted to exhibit their unique talents. The idea first came to life when SC class representatives surveyed their classmates on what projects they wanted the SC to accomplish back in S.Y. 2022-2023. This was still the suggestion after another survey was conducted this school year. “Most of the students really wanted a place where they could show their talents,” explained SC adviser Hannah Repotente.

With the theme, “all talent is a form of art,” the PYP Got Talent began with a Class Got Talent to narrow down the pool of performers. Class representatives from the SC judged other classes’ auditions based on originality, skill, execution, and overall stage performance and chose a maximum of four performers per district, with each district consisting of two sections.

A total of 39 UPY students, forming 21 acts, performed under the spotlight during PYP Got Talent. Multiple students sang songs in English, Mandarin, and Filipino while a group gave a dance performance of “Super Shy.”

“It [The PYP Got Talent] was fun and while showcasing my own talents, I got to see others too [sic]! Everyone has different skills,” expressed Keisha Wang from Galilee.

After an intermission number by the UPY Dance Club, the program resumed with instrumentalists impressing the audience with their diverse skills on the piano, ukulele, violin, drums, and guitar.

“Some of the challenges we encountered were choosing the songs, learning the songs, timing, the time restraints, and the memorization of the pieces. Since we have different schedules and availabilities, we have to find a way to make it work,” Tyler Uy, Jordan student and performer, revealed. “Despite all these challenges, we still got to accomplish our goal: the synchronization, memorization of the songs, and most importantly teamwork.”

The PYP Got Talent concluded with words of congratulations from Supervisor Mary Ann Papey. Performers were each given tokens of appreciation after the event instead of the usual prizes after winning a talent show.

“At first, we wanted it to be a contest,” Repotente shared. “But then… what they [the SC] decided on, since we value student agency here—we give students voice, choice, and ownership in what they do—we decided it [would] be a showcase instead.”

The SC adviser shared that one challenge the SC faced was having to limit the amount of performers in the PYP Got Talent since there were over 300 students in the UPY Department and only two hours for the event. She touched on the struggles of organizing a major event for the first time since the SC’s establishment the previous school year.

“What I thank God about SC is that they all have the heart to improve and to serve,” Repotente added, “so even though there were problems, they're all willing to help and they look out for each other.”