By Virginia Coleman-Prisco
Photo by Kailyn Nadeau

         On Friday, May 3, Botelle Elementary School hosted its fourth annual Talent Show to a large and enthusiastic audience. Botelle parent and talent show producer Kailyn Nadeau pointed out how “great it is to see Norfolk residents who are without kids in the school attend the talent show and show their support. I hope to see more of that in the coming years, as there’s so much that goes on at Botelle that we would love to share with our town.” Talent shows teach children life-long learning skills that will help them inside and outside of school such as collaboration, self-confidence, risk-taking, resilience and artistic exploration.

         Emcees Leif Johnson and Carter Nadeau kicked off the evening with their lively banter and confident stage presence. The first act showcased a variety of performances such as dancing, comedy, instrumental music numbers, beatboxing and singing. Dancing acts ranged from pop, as with the lead-off routine with Kadynce Benoit and Fiona Ramadani’s fun “Suckers” by the Jonas Brothers, to breakdancing, as with Vinny Bascetta and Landon Nadeau’s hysterical and literal jam with “Brass Monkey” by the Beastie Boys, complete with monkey masks. The self-taught kindergartener Adrien Lavertue performed “Hot Cross Buns” on the recorder while fourth graders McKenzie Bannerman and Kadynce Benoit played their trumpets accompanied by sixth grader Madison Benoit and music teacher Ashley Bianchi. During intermission, delicious snacks were available from fifth grader Hazel Kochman’s concession stand, with the proceeds going to her Kindness in Motion project that is raising money for a medical clinic in Paynesville, Liberia. 

            The second act started with fourth grader John Prisco’s stop-motion short films, which were projected on the gymnasium wall. More singing, dancing and rapping kept the audience entertained. For the first time in Botelle talent show history, a quartet consisting of students and parents performed. Fifth grader Leigha Dillard and her mother, Stacey Procopio-Dillard, beautifully sang as classmate David DeCerbo played piano and his father, Josh DeCerbo, played the guitar to “The Joke” by Brandi Carlile. The event closed with an uncompromising rendition of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” sung by sixth graders Liam Heller, Leif Johnson and Carter Nadeau, accompanied on guitar by Robert Asselin, the sixth-grade teacher’s son. These amazing performances could not have happened without the support of the stage managers, backstage crew, as well as lighting and sound engineers. John DeShazo, the lighting engineer, is working on a grant for permanent stage lighting that will support future stage endeavors.

In the scholarly journal Childhood Education, Mary Renck Jalongo has related how pursuits such as talent shows allow children to combine intensity “with playfulness, the very sort of ‘regulated curiosity’ that empirical research associates with creative behavior.” The Botelle community fosters a sense of comfort in the students and the talent show reinforces the respect for creative thinking and expression. Kailyn Nadeau is amazed that “so many of the children have no qualms about stepping onto the stage and performing in front of their friends and family. They’re all so encouraging toward one another.It’s one of my favorite events because the students really surprise us with their diverse talents. It’s everything from funny to tear-jerking when you see how brave they are!” 

         In the near future, Botelle students may have even more opportunities to develop and display various talents. The school is working on incorporating enrichment clusters into the curriculum next year. According to the scholarly journal Gifted Child Today, an enrichment cluster consists of a teacher, parent, or volunteer as a facilitator, and students who are interested in the cluster topic. The group meets during the school day for a period of six to eight weeks to explore a topic that focuses on academic interests, artistic interests or professional fields that the students would like to explore and experience. As topic selection is based on student interest, enrichment clusters have proven a highly engaging way for students to learn.

A Botelle parent and local artist, Courtney Maum, believes that “the enrichment clusters are a wonderful idea, and I’m proud of Botelle for undertaking ambitious initiatives such as this. I do hope that the parents get to weigh in to some extent as to what the clusters will cover. If my daughter got to vote, she would talk about unicorns all month. I also hope that Botelle is able to get experts who represent a variety of different trades so that our children can have early exposure to (and excitement about) the professions that are out there. A cluster in electrical fundamentals, in coding, in Spanish (or another second language), in filmmaking and editing—there are so many exciting directions this could go in.” The possibilities are endless, as are the talents of our local children.

Photo: Vinny Bascetta and Landon Nadeau perform to “Brass Monkey” at the Botelle Talent Show.