On Wednesday, September 10, Lewis Cass hosted their annual Homecoming Variety Show filled with performances from students and teachers displaying their talents. The acts contained singing, dancing, and more. The show gathers our community together to watch younger generations’ growth and confidence as they express themselves.

The soloists this year were: Ayden Maloy, Lillian Wells, Camdyn Smith, Lahleya Perry, Kaity Shively, Kaylee Copeland, Aracelli Roberts, Chloe Waterson, Lucas Amor, and Ruby Eshelman. Duos included: Chloe Waterson & Rielle Musgrave, Molly Shively & Arrianna Nicolas, Kate Armstrong & Bella Alford, Lahleya Perry & Keileigh Smith, and Gwendolyn Barker & Mrs.Barker. Finally, trios rounded out with: Lahleya Perry, Aailiyah Goff, and Keliegh Smith singing the cup song and Logan Clark, Jeremiah Hook, and Mr.Hinshaw, who gave a live band performance.

After these terrific performances, the homecoming court and cheerleaders entertained the audience with comedy and dance skills, followed by senior skits from the class of 2026. This year’s girls’ homecoming court included: Annaleigh Hedrick, Aftin Griffin, Ava Hubner, Kylie Logan, and Capreese Jones. This year’s boy’s homecoming court included: Brody Hillis, Trey Johnson, Harrison Clark, Gavin Smith, and Jed Frey. The senior skit had a variety of different acts: trivia with Trey, a makeup contest with partners, senior superlatives, and a teacher skit.

Mrs. Burch, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Hinshaw, and Mrs. Barker worked together to make this show happen. Mrs. Burch helped the seniors produce their senior skits and practice their parts. When asked if this senior class was more challenging or easier to work with compared to previous classes, Mrs. Burch mentioned this group of seniors was sweet and fun, which made the process very easy. Mrs. Burch liked how they worked well together and made sure to include everyone in it. Although this year was different from the past, Mrs. Burch said, “Due to the auditorium being under construction, the seniors were not able to practice as much before the show.” Despite this little obstacle, the seniors were able to overcome it and pull off a great show.

Mrs. Barker worked behind the scenes in the auditorium tech booth. On top of this commitment, she also performed an act with her daughter, junior Gwendolyn Barker. There were challenges to the switch between the two roles, but everything worked out smoothly because Mrs. Barker had a great team to depend on. After much thought, the duo chose to perform a “Shaving Cream” act. Mrs. Barker was nervous to be in front of a crowd and did not like public speaking, so when asked what went through her mind when she was on stage, her response was, “The most that was going through my brain while I was up there was… “I hope I don’t forget any of the words,” and “Golly, I am singing way off key! Gwendolyn was also nervous on stage as she caught a cold the week of the big day. Due to this, she had to sing an octave lower in the chorus, which was not what she originally practiced. Nonetheless, both had fun with no regrets.

Senior, Lahleya Perry performed on stage three times: one solo, one duo, and a trio. When asked about her thought process while on stage, she replied that she was aware of the many eyes on her and tried to focus on anything but her nerves to calm her down. Lahley’s preparation for these acts was a total of six hours after running through the songs a few times. After a successful night, Lahleya had no regrets about her performances on stage.

Junior, Adalyn Brown, and foreign exchange student from Spain, Marina Cabrera, were in attendance in the audience watching the amazing acts in the variety show. Adalyn’s favorite part was Molly Shively and Arrianna Nicolas singing “Lost Boys”, but she loved all the acts performed that night. The funniest part of the show, in her opinion, was the senior acts. Marina also agreed that the seniors’ performances were funny, especially the homecoming court and senior superlatives. When asked if she had anything similar to this variety show back in her hometown, she responded, “There is nothing like this over there.” Marina’s favorite performance was by Camdyn Smith, who sang “Easy on Me” by Adele. Camdyn’s voice was beautiful and stood out to Marina.

All in all, it was another great year of performances and another successful Homecoming Variety Show full of new memories made. As a senior myself, it was bittersweet taking part in the senior skit and participating in my last variety show. However, I, along with many others, was so grateful to have had the opportunity to partake in an event that brings families and community together for a night compact with joy, awe, tears, and laughter. With that, thank you, Lewis Cass, and everyone who participated, for a great, memorable night.