Satvika Ananth
Staff Writer

In 1996, seniors were begging for a talent show, because there had never been one at CHS. And so teachers Brad Hunt and Linda Moore collaborated to sponsor the first CHS talent show.

Thirteen years later, Principal Hunt has seen several changes in the show, all for the better. From technology to talent, the improvements have been vast, and the 2009 CHS Talent Show is a testament to that.

“The first show was more of a variety show,” Hunt said. “The talent was subjective, and only seniors participated at first.

These are just a few of the many changes Hunt has seen since his first talent show at CHS. In the beginning, the show was only open for one night since expectations and quality were both lower. Now, the show runs for two nights with high ticket sales.

“We [were] a little worried about people who arrived at 7 p.m. on Wednesday,” Senior Class sponsor Shelly Redding said.

Redding has been responsible for planning the talent show for the past five years as the senior class sponsor. She is in charge of ticket sales and procuring equipment for the event. She also schedules auditions and practices.

“I’ve seen a lot of change in the talent itself,” Redding said. “It wasn’t bad before, but we have some really amazing talent at CHS, and it blows me away.”

The class officers themselves instated several changes that made the talent show new and fresh. As usual, the MCs designed skits based around a specific theme, and this year, the theme of choice was “That’s So Coppell.”

“[The MCs] were talking and laughing about Coppell-related things, and we decided this would be a good theme, Senior Class officer Emily Mankin said. “It was something new that hadn’t been done before.”

Each skit focused on an aspect of Coppell, poking light fun at the topic. According to senior Mary Beth Walker, the best part of this process was making fun of herself and her friends.

“I think we nailed the Coppell attitude,” Walker said. “It’s easiest to make fun of ourselves.”

The audition process involved assistant choir director Sarah Meador, the performance coordinator, and the senior class officers, who auditioned students based on specific points of merit. Many students were turned away because of the high number of talented and capable students who tried out.

These changes since the time of Hunt’s creation of the Talent Show have been accented by the addition of technology to the mix. In particular, the use of video technology has augmented the Talent Show through the KCBY production used at the beginning of the show.

This year, the MCs made t-shirts for the first time. The use of “event T-shirts” is growing in popularity, and making “That’s So Coppell” shirts afforded the MCs the ability to wear a uniform outfit for their ending act, in which they danced to “Run This Town” by Rihanna and Jay-Z.

Hunt also recalls that when he began the talent show, there were no judges or prizes. This year, assistant band director Brandon Slovak, English teacher Brynlea Taylor, counselor John Crook, and math teacher Paulan Daily judged the show, and gave prizes to students.

Blake Manfre won Coppell Idol for his original song, freshman Austin Ballard won Most Unique for his glowsticking and senior Dinah Smith won Best Vocals. The Jacob Harpel Band took third place for their feisty interpretation of “Hey Ya,” and Max Ginell won second for his piano piece. Seniors Sharon Mathai and Kara McFarlane won first for their outstanding performance of “Put Your Records On” by Corrine Bailey Rae, much to the approval of the Wednesday night audience.

Mathai and McFarlane began singing together during their sophomore year, and decided to try out in a last-minute decision. Mathai originally convinced MacFarlane to participate, though McFarlane had some stage fright. Through the process of the talent show, she overcame this fear and had the opportunity to sing in front of the school.

“We were so excited we won,” McFarlane said. “I would do this again in an instant.”