Students, family members, and friends experienced a few hours of entertainment at an evening talent show hosted at the Ray Fauria Gym on the Riverbank High School campus on Wednesday, March 25. There were a dozen acts that performed various talents like singers, dancers, a rapper, and more. The proceeds collected from the event were part of a joint effort of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF) club and the junior class to present the 2015 prom. Advisor for both groups, Yolanda Vera, RHS math teacher expressed that the event was a success with a larger attendance than anticipated along with funds that will help with the prom decorations and other necessities.

Each act delighted the audience for a three- to five-minute performance and there were three judges on hand to select the top three winners. A trio, Christina, Carla and Klarrissa took first place with their energetic, choreographed dance performance, Diana Barajas earned second place with a traditional Latin American dance and there was a tie for third between Natalia Villapudua who did an expressive dance and Linda and Andres who performed a passionate flamenco style dance. The winners of the night received a prom ticket, a dinner gift card or a free tux rental dependent on their need, which was contributed by Vera who organized the event.

The Color Guard started the event with flags and rifles in a moving performance that the crowd enjoyed. Master of Ceremonies, Eli Vernon had the crowd laughing as they anticipated the next act. The solo singers were Kayla Savory, Hector Sanchez, and Gustavo Rodriguez who sang in Spanish. Foreign exchange student Dingy Zhang performed a traditional sword dance and Carolina Duarte, after only one year of learning sign language, signed an entire song with passion and elegance. Senior Oscar Ortiz was a solo rapper that got the audience on their feet cheering him on. The final performance was from Oscar and his band that played instruments and sang.

There were a couple surprising prom invites by two students between acts that had chatter and applause rippling throughout the audience.

The Riverbank High School prom will be held on Saturday, April 25 at the Centre Plaza in Modesto.

“We made more than we thought we would make,” said Vera. “It was great. I was impressed by the performances.”

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