LOS ALAMITOS, CA — Los Alamitos High School’s Interact Talent Show on March 30, 2023, featured nine diverse acts including a live magic show, riveting bands, and even an original indie pop performance.

Los Al’s Interact Club hosted the show in order to raise money for the non-profit organization, Water for South Sudan. The organization raises money in order to provide better sanitation, water, and hygiene practices for many communities.

 If students would like to donate to the cause, click here.

The last time the Interact Talent Show was held (before COVID-19), the club raised almost $1,000 which was enough to fund the building of a new well in South Sudan.

“A lot of students hadn’t experienced the talent show before since we last held it in 2019, so of course, we did not have that advantage [of word of mouth] this year. The money we raised is definitely better than we expected, which I’m really proud of,” said Megan Nakasone, President of the Interact Club and host of the talent show.

The talent show began with a riveting performance of an electric guitar cover of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” performed by Zachary Zoni.  His electric green guitar glowed in the dark as the curtain closed. He was a perfect start to the night.

The next act was Aiden Khalek, a magician who performed a card trick. He brought a volunteer up from the audience to help him complete his trick, Michael Warren.

“It was honestly really, really fun,” Khalek said. “It was a little nerve-racking at first, but I recommend anyone who has any talents to do it next year because it was really fun for me.”

The following performer was Michael Warren, a staff writer for the Griffin Gazette. He played two songs on the classical piano, “Waltz in C-Sharp Minor, OP. 64, No. 2” by Frederic Chopin and “Maple Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin. The audience loved him.

Annika Jew and Crystal Lee came onstage next and danced in a duet to a cover of “Break My Heart Myself” by Bebe Rexha. As the sole dance act, they blew away the audience with their upbeat performance. 

Up next was Elle Davis. She sang “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane as a solo act.

Brass Boys, a band on campus, performed the song “Danza” by Lucky Chops. They were a top favorite with the audience.

“Dream a Little Dream” by the Mamas and the Papas was performed by Audrey Savedra. She sang and played the guitar.

Next up were the second-place winners, Purple Room Band, who performed an original indie pop song; their lead singer, Briana Mendez, has released her own album on Spotify including the song “Divine,” which they performed at the talent show.

The final act was the rock band, ASTRAXXII, which had only one member who is currently attending Los Al, Anthony Tinoco. He played the electric guitar, and the band wore correlating rock outfits onstage.

Gallery • 8 Photos

The Purple Room Band performing on stage during the Interact Talent Show. (Sydney Forsyte)

Audience members were given a brief interlude to vote for the act they thought deserved to win. At the conclusion of the night, the hosts, Nakasone, Jake Nguyen, and Philip Pinto announced the winners to an anticipatory crowd. The overall winners of the competition by one vote, ASTRAXXII, strode up to the stage to receive their reward, two free prom tickets or their cash equivalent.

The audience was enthralled the whole night and loved the multitude of performances by the Los Al students, as well as the interactions between the audience and the hosts. The Interact Club encourages all students to try out next year for a really fun night and a great experience.

“It [was] kind of a big deal before COVID, so I’m hoping that will continue, and the people that thought ‘I don’t know anything about it,’ that they’ll want to try out next year,” Nakasone said.