Speech and Debate team members put on a show that students will not forget. The unforgettable performance, hosted by Foothill juniors Aron Egelko and Kevin Kunes, was a night of laughter and good cheer.
“I loved the performance. It was amazing,” junior Elena Schink said.
Foothill’s first annual “MerryFest” kicked off at 7 pm with an original poem, “How the Speech team Saved Christmas,” which explained why the MerryFest was taking place: the Speech team needed to dig themselves out of a $500 debt to ASB. The rhyming poem was read to the tune of “The Night Before Christmas.”
The program on Wednesday included a ballet performance, Festivus celebration, the “Mean Girls‘” “Jingle Bell Rock” dance performance, a musical performance by junior Nicole Teitel on the cowbell at intermission, story time with Egelko, the story of the Hanukkah latke (potato pancake), and many other speech duos and monologues.
Molly Roberts, a sophomore, really kicked the holiday spirit into gear with her monologue of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” dressed in a pink “onesie”. Her growling portrayal of the Grinch made many audience members jump.
“The Twelve Pains of Christmas” was a hilarious reconstruction of the classic song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” singing about the headaches of the holidays.
The “Mean Girls” act, led by senior Hailey Bartlett fell a bit flat compared to the rest of the acts. As junior IzzyZnamenacek said, “The act was just kind of awkward.”
The highlight of the night was the reading of the children’s book “Llama, Llama, Holiday Drama” by Aron Egelko on Wednesday. Egelko invited the audience to sit around the stage for story time, and half the audience (mostly students) ran to the stage to get the best seat. The heartwarming story was about a llama and its mother who spent Christmas together. The audience enthusiastically “oohed” and “ahhed” appropriately.
The Festivus holiday was introduced to the audience by the Speech and Debate coach Jennifer Kindred on Wednesday and Robert Goulet (Foothill’s own math teacher and Debate coach Anthony Villa) on Friday. The celebration spanned the entire event, beginning with the “airing of grievances,” continuing with the “feats of strength,” and ending with the crowning of Miss Festivus, Molly Roberts; who sung the Miss Festivus song by club Secretary Brittany Bernardi. Foothill Teacher Karen Rodrigues, senior Colin Crilly, and Foothill alumni Aidan Fenwick, who had been crowned the year before, were also contenders on Wednesday night.
Brittany Bernardi, Colin Crilly, and Kevin Kunes did an excellent job of showing the audience just what talent the speech team is capable of by performing competitive pieces which have recently won prizes at the tournament at Simi Valley High School. Bernardi and Crilly’s duo was crazy, about a man who wants to make it big in the life of crime, but is a failure. Kunes performed a humorous interpretation about an insane piano teacher.
Kunes and Teitel performed a precious duo, “The Giving Tree”, by Shel Silverstein.
The atmosphere was overwhelmingly merry. Smiles lit up everyone’s faces, especially when Kunes’ own little sister Tammy recited a cliff-hanging piece of original poetry about opening a Chrismas present.
Santa (Sam ‘O Donnell) was present behind every act, taking naps on the sofa and eating holiday cookies throughout the show.
On Friday there was also the addition of a juggling performance by Foothill senior Jim Bern.
“The MerryFest was a success; we’ve raised $1,300 so far and we’re out of debt with ASB,” Kindred said after Friday’s show.
