The terrific talent at Owasso High School
By Makenzy Holm
The annual Owasso High School Talent Show is never something to skip. There is always incredible talent to be seen and heard from the student body. In years past, the hour-long show was packed with exciting action from our peers, some of which we might have never expected to take the stage; the 2025 show was no different. From beautiful duets to graceful dances, the 2025 Talent Show was a sight to behold.
Starting off strong, “Sixth Degree Burns,” a band based in Owasso, rocked the stage with their performance bringing just the right amount of energy needed to get the show started. Their head-bangworthy music was enticing; it was hard not to tap your foot to the beat of the drums. When the song ended, it was exciting to wonder what could possibly top the amazing opener.
Gliding onto the stage in her sparkly top, Hasini Simon won the hearts of the crowd by singing “Stupid Cupid.” Strutting around the stage, Simon showed Cupid who was boss and taught him not to mess with her anymore. When the song sadly ended and she started to walk confidently offstage, she left many people screaming in her wake to come back and do it all over again.
The next act was performed by Zach Neils, singing, “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma.” His deep southern accent brought the spirit of Oklahoma to life while still using the authenticity of his voice to convey a sense of home on the plains of Oklahoma. If you closed your eyes you could easily imagine standing on one of those plains, feeling the wind blowing gently across your face while the tall grass tickled at your feet.
Picture of Zach Neils singing “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” taken by Makenzy Holm
The first dancer of the show, Ella Purdum, graced the audience with her presence as she performed a contemporary piece. Her moves were full of poise and elegance, highlighting her perfect posture and beautiful pointed toes through leaps and turns. Her facial expressions told the story perfectly, and her dance was executed with precision.
When Olivia Ransom performed "Still Waters," the entire PAC went silent. There was no sound to be heard except for her melodic voice filling our ears, telling of her hope and unwavering faith. The whole room held a collective breath as she sang her heart out, leaving all her fear and worry on the stage.
Owen Johnson's tiger-striped electric guitar was a complete showstopper, making him stand out with the bold pattern. When Johnson played the first chords, the whole crowd lost their minds. Everyone was nodding their heads while admiring his long curly hair. His quick fingers wove together a beautiful melody of strength and determination with a captivating guitar riff at the very end tying the whole performance in a perfect tiger-striped bow.
When Jayden Lane stepped onto the stage with his shiny saxophone, everybody knew it was going to be an unforgettable presentation. Playing "Just the Two of Us," he lulled every student in the audience into a dream-like trance with the smooth jazz coming from his instrument. All up and down the rows of seats, there were people swaying in time to the music or tapping their feet.
Picture of Jayden Lane playing the saxophone taken by Makenzy Holm
Adam Merrick's hip-hop/robotic-like dance to “Space” by JVKE displayed his unbelievable talent of crisp movements paired with smooth music. He hit every beat with no exceptions and had the whole audience blown away with his dazzling stage presence. He was born to perform, which is made obvious through the way every movement was completely controlled and every muscle moving in sync.
Courtney Engelman and Taylor Fagan wowed the crowd with their stunning duet of “What is This Feeling?” from the Wicked soundtrack. Their clothes matched the iconic colors of Glinda and Elphaba, pink and green respectively, showcasing their distinct personalities. Their frustration and disgust with one another was easily brought to attention by the simple twirls around each other, never taking their eyes off of one another. Their dagger-like stares could be seen from the back row of the theatre as they ultimately decided the unknown feeling to be loathing.
Up next was Kaden Marshall and Emorie Nuckels performing one of 2024's most popular songs: “Die With a Smile,” sung by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga. While both of them sang, Marshall also used his enchanting piano skills to pull everything into a cohesive bond. Nuckels brought the house down with her powerful voice. She flawlessly moved from main vocals to harmonizing and back again with no issue, bringing the whole performance together.
Picture of Kaden Marshall and Emorie Nuckels singing “Die With a Smile” taken by Makenzy Holm
Although her performance started with a technical difficulty, Maliyah Turner took it in stride and still put on an unforgettable act. Although the song was called “I’m Going Down,” her beautiful presence made it look like she was levitating across the stage as she sang about telling her past love how happy she is that he is gone. Her sassy attitude drew the audience in leaving them wanting more.
Austin Tate and Mallory Sepúlveda seemed to be made for the stage as they tapped their way through “A Lovely Night” from the “La La Land” soundtrack. Their in-sync steps and tense attitudes rendered them a perfect match to play the part of the beloved characters of Mia Dolan and Sebastian Wilder.
No stranger to the stage, Abram Smith, put on a wonderful arrangement of the classic “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd using his electric violin. He moved to the quick upbeat tempo of the song, making it extremely difficult not to sing along while putting a new spin on the adored song. His modern take left everyone feeling inspired to be just a little more free.
The final student act was performed by Baylee Killian singing, “Defying Gravity” from the soundtrack of Wicked. Her beautiful voice really brought the tense scene to life, and it truly seemed as if she could touch the clouds. She hit every single high note with no difficulty and gave an awe-inspiring performance.
Picture of Baylee Killian singing “Defying Gravity” taken by Makenzy Holm
And last but not least, we had a special performance done by a few volunteer teachers, performing a group dance to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off.” It was the perfect way to end the show, with outlandish costumes including big tutus, a vintage Owasso Pom uniform and even featured a teacher in an inflatable t-rex costume. By the end of the song and dance, everyone was clapping and singing along to the well known songs. The teachers really brought the heat this year, and if they had been competing, they probably would have been a tough act to beat.
Picture of the teacher volunteers taken by Makenzy Holm