The 2nd annual talent show was hosted in the East auditorium by the Aevidum club on

December 16, 2022. Before the performance, we reached out to the organizers (Emily McElreavey, Tyler Houp, and Molly Smeins) to learn more about the club and their hopes for the talent show.

1. What is Aevidum?

Aevidum is a non-profit organization, started in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, that empowers youth to shatter the silence surrounding depression, suicide, and other issues facing teens. Aevidum means "I've got your back" and was originally created by students who unfortunately lost a classmate to suicide.

2. What charity do the proceeds from the talent show go towards?

Last year, we donated all of our proceeds to Minding Your Mind, another local mental health club based in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. We used our connection with them to invite a motivational speaker at East in October to share his story regarding his personal growth with mental health.

3. I know this is the second Aevidum talent show, how much did last year's show raise? Is this year’s goal even higher?

Last year, we raised over $800 through admission costs, concessions, and raffles! This year, we have the same goal; however, we are focussing more on spreading mental health awareness by providing resources at the show. We are hoping to have more people show up and support such a vital cause in our school and community.

4. What sort of talents can we expect to see?

This year we have a lot of piano pieces from our contestants!

5. What are you most excited about for the concert?

Overall, we are excited to make this show even better than last year! We are more organized and understand all the little details needed to host such a great event!

6. What inspired you to create this club?

Besides our personal experiences with mental health, we wanted to bring more awareness here at East to anyone who may be silently struggling with their own personal battles. Our goal is to make the hard conversations easier when discussing mental health.

On the day of the talent show, the six contestants entered the auditorium at 5:30 pm to prepare for the show. At 6 pm, their friends and family began to file in. Students and staff members were admitted to the show for $3, while other audience members had to buy tickets for $5.

After a brief introduction from the Aevidum club, the show was opened by Isha, who sang “Last Christmas” with music performed by Taylor Swift. She set a beautiful seasonal tone for the rest of the performance.

Next was Ethan, performing a series of piano pieces, including Prelude in C Major by Bach, Nocturne in E Flat Major by Chopin, and Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold. His was the first among the following piano pieces that would be seen that night. The performance was a beautiful interpretation of the classics, bringing peace to the excited audience.

Dominic followed with his original piano piece. Not only was it rich and complex, but it displayed his talent as both a composer and musician. Needless to say, the audience was not prepared for such a creative performance. He even surprised the audience with a second piece from La La Land.

After that Seryiah performed the piano piece “Je Te Laisserai des Mots” as well as an excerpt from “Runaway” by Kanye West. Her version was just as smooth and peaceful as the originals.

Arya then played and sang “Colors of The Wind” from Disney’s Pocahontas on the piano. She connected the auditorium with the beauty of nature with her voice.

Finally, Alex showed his bizarre genius with a Rubix cube challenge. In front of the audience, he solved two shuffled Rubix cubes in under ten seconds each! Then, he showed off by solving a cube with one hand. His niche talent made for a great display.

After all the contestants had performed, the hosts from Aevidum met as a council to determine the winner. When they had made their decision, they sent the youngest son of teacher Mr. Swiggett up to the stage to announce that the winner was Dominic!

Thanks to his wonderful piano piece and amazing composition, Dominic won himself a $50 Visa gift card. He would like to thank his friends from the Aevidum club, his family, and teachers Mr. Rupert and Mr. Swiggett for supporting him.