Students put their talents on display at MYAC event

Students can do more than just learn in a classroom all day.

They have other interests and talents they want the world to know about, and an event Wednesday afternoon at the Leisureplex banquet hall was a chance for them to do exactly that.

A talent showcase was hosted by the Fort Erie Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee (MYAC), bringing out more than 30 kids from multiple schools for a total of 20 acts.

One of the performances came from Lakeshore Catholic High School (LCHS) students Bryish Jamieson and Dani Haberly, both from Fort Erie, who did several numbers as a two-piece band consisting of drums and bass.

Jamieson, who was playing drums, said it was nice to have an event in his hometown, and not a half an hour away in Port Colborne at LCHS.

“More family can come out and watch,” he told Fort Erie Radio in an interview before their performance.

Both Jamieson and Haberly are members of the jazz and concert bands at LCHS, and explained their songs were renditions of the work of different composers.

Haberly said she plays 13 instruments, but took an interest in bass guitar during the COVID-19 pandemic when she had plenty of time to listen to music.

“I listened to so many songs and in a lot of them the bass really stuck with me,” she said.

Emma Fokkens, a Greater Fort Erie Secondary School student, gave a solo singing performance of ‘As the World Caves In’ by Sarah Cothran, and also performed Christina Aguilera’s ‘Say Something’ in a duet with her friend Payton Forester.

She said the event is “good way to celebrate” near the end of the school year, but also a chance to network with other creative minds and talents from other schools.

It’s a chance to “showcase all of the things we can do,” she said.

Mackenzie Arts, MYAC chair and a Grade 12 student at GFESS, said the talent showcase was a chance to contradict the “bad reputation” some younger people receive.

“Events like this, we’re able to put youth in a positive light,” she said.

It’s also a chance to learn more about MYAC.

“It’s away for us to meet people in the community and build our community presence,” she said.

The event also included games and activities, as well as baked goods and an information table about MYAC.

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