The FH Factor, Forest Hills High School’s annual talent show, took place on the night of March 10th. Many talented students took the stage in the auditorium to sing, play instruments, and dance the night away, showing off their talents. 

Each and every person who had the courage to go on stage and perform did an exceptional job, regardless of the judges’ scores. Being able to put on a show in front of so many people is, in itself, worth all tens. 

In the words of Mr. Wilbur, “You have to believe in yourself to go on stage.”

Once both of the acts finished, the audience was able to vote who was the overall best. In third place came Nicole Blanco and Aliya Gamboa; in second place was Michelle Merjave and Samantha Vargas; and in first, Analese Valpais and Victoria Ilizarov.

Michelle and Samantha told The Beacon Staff that they had been practicing for this talent show since September, showing their dedication in making their performance as great as it was. They were not expecting to win, as all the other performers were amazing! However, they definitely deserved winning second place, as their dance to “Crazy in Love/Tricky” was perfectly shocking and captivating.

One of the first place winners, Analese, told us that she was also shocked that she won first place, but her performance of “Part of Your World” was simply phenomenal! She also wanted to give shoutouts to Mr. King and her friend Amalyah Yisrael, another performer in the talent show. She stated that she looks up to Mr. King as a mentor, and she wanted to thank Amalyah for suggesting that she sing that song. 

Analese’s family also shared some words with The Beacon Staff, saying that all of the performances were amazing and awesome, that there is so much talent in our school, and students are very strong to go on stage. However, they also mentioned that the judging for this show may not have been fair. One of the performances scored all elevens, while the rest were out of ten. 

All performers in The FH Factor were wonderful, and it is thanks to them and the Student Government that such an event could take place. This allowed for more involvement from the school community, which is exactly what Forest Hills needs.