Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
A DAPPER Darth Vader moves through the bodies of dead Stormtroopers and rebel fighters. Vader and Leia linked up and discussed automobile insurance at the A.D. Johnston School in Bessemer.
By IAN MINIELLY
Bessemer - The A.D. Johnston High School in Bessemer held a Christmas Gong Show Thursday afternoon.
Blaine Pellinen and Lilly Wieringa were the primary student organizers of the event and recruited and signed 10 different acts for the show. Teachers Mark Movrich, Kim Saari and Tracy Rowe were judges.
As the gymnasium filled, it became apparent the school was awash in Christmas spirit, with students wearing different holiday-themed sweaters and shirts. It just may have been a school-wide ugly sweater contest.
The show opened with at least 15 students doing a Star Wars Revisited sketch. A Princess Leia and trash can R2D2 re-enacted the video shot for Obi Wan Kenobi, just before a slew of Stormtroopers busted through a wall and a gun fight ensued. Darth Vader stole the scene and the kids mocked an insurance commercial.
Lizzie Servia, showing great gumption, took the floor without accompaniment and sang "Breakeven" by The Script. Servia's voice gained strength as the song continued and by the end, she was powering through the chords and outright owning the gym. Servia stole the show.
Blaise Pellinen, younger brother of Blaine, displayed great fortitude by dancing to a remix of "Let Me Love You." Dancing, as a young man, in front of a gymnasium filled with peers, is no simple thing. Pellinen managed to gyrate his hips, swivel his arms and throw in some dabs to really engage the crowd.
Only one act roused the ire of the judges and resulted in the gong being pounded. Luke Holm and Sean Korpela brought large paper tablets onto the floor, covered their eyes, and then sought crowd requests for a blinded drawing. The requests were Harambe, the dead gorilla, and Spongebob Squarepants.
After a number of moments had passed, the tempo of the moment waned and the crowd's anticipation seemed to have reached its low point. Movrich picked up the gavel and pounded the gong, mercifully saving the crowd moments of time.
The drawings were displayed and were decent depictions, even if they were thrown from the competition.
The school is off for Christmas break today.
