Cheyenne Stars of Tomorrow honors students' talent

Apr. 29—CHEYENNE — Students from kindergarten through 12th grade took the stage Sunday afternoon to share their talents in front of an audience of over 100 family and community members.

The acts included showcases of dance, song, instrumental performance, filmmaking and motivational speaking.

The 70th Kiwanis Stars of Tomorrow was the setting for these performances by Laramie County School District 1 students at Cheyenne's Central High School. Three judges were given the difficult task of selecting first, second and third place for each of the three categories — elementary, junior high and high school students — as well as crowning one performance as the Best in Show.

Typically, around 21 contestants compete in the annual talent show. Stars of Tomorrow co-Chair Lorrell Walter said they approved 26 performances this year because they were impressed with all of the applicants.

"But when we got through auditions and we were reviewing scores, our team that was reviewing everything ... we felt like everybody was worthy of making it to the stage. ... But that's not a guarantee; we don't usually do that," she said.

This year, 10th grader Missa Bersabe took home first place in the high school division, as well as the Best in Show award, with her impassioned performance of "Millionaire's Hoedown" by Herman Clebanoff on the violin. Although Bersabe's performance was the final act — after attendees had sat through more than two hours of talent — she still found a way to energize the audience as they clapped along while she danced around the stage, ripping double-stops on her fiddle.

"It means a lot to me," Bersabe said. "This was my last year performing at the Stars of Tomorrow, and, honestly, I'm just happy that I got to go out with a bang."

Although she could technically be eligible to compete in her senior year, she said she likely would not, since she's content to have won it and wants to give others a chance. She said she has been playing violin for around eight years and only began exploring fiddle-style playing around a year ago.

This honor was particularly special for Bersabe because she got to share it with her younger brother, Pio, who took home first prize in the elementary division. Hendrix Vigil, a Carey Junior High seventh grader, won the junior high division with his piano performance of "Red" by Kevin Olson.

Sixth grader Pio performed "Sonatina in G Major" by Muzio Clementi. He has been playing piano for around five years and also plays cello in the Cheyenne Youth Symphony.

"When I heard Pio won first in his division, I just couldn't hold back with my excitement ... I was super excited for him," Missa said. "And then, when I heard that I got first, I was just shocked. And sharing that with Pio, it's so awesome. Because I know he worked really, really hard and practiced so long, over and over, and honestly, I really think that he deserved to get first. And just sharing that with him is just super special."

In addition to supporting her younger brother, she also supports younger musicians through the MISSA Project. This is a youth outreach program she created where she instructs beginner and intermediate violinists and offers music theory classes. She said she hopes this program will be sustainable after she graduates in two years. Missa hopes to study music in college. Currently, she also plays for the Laramie County Community College Chamber Orchestra, the Cheyenne Fiddle Orchestra, the Cheyenne East High School orchestra, although she is homeschooled, and is a student assistant for the Cheyenne Youth Symphony.

The first-place winner in each category earns a $750 cash prize for their school, and the Best of Show receives an additional $750 for their school. Because the Bersabe siblings are homeschooled, their prize money will go to their home school district.

Walter said she has seen some children come back every year, and grow in their skills and confidence each time they perform.

"You just need to be proud of what you did, and then, if you get the trophy, great. If you don't, you had a great opportunity," she said.

Walter said every participant receives a trophy for their efforts in choosing to get on stage and perform in front of an audience of over 100 strangers. She said students should not be discouraged by the judges' decision because it can be difficult to compare a diverse set of acts against each other.

"You may have the best performance of your life and you may not place. But you have to understand that it's not a dance competition, right? So, if you're a dancer, that dance number is being compared to a singing number, it's being compared to a violin or a piano. How do you compare those things? It's really hard, it's subjective," Walter said. "... We try to remind kids that 'yes, it's nice to win. It's nice to get an extra trophy.' But really, it's more about performing and you getting better at what you do as a performer and making yourself better."

Noah Zahn is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's local government/business reporter. He can be reached at 307-633-3128 or nzahn@wyomingnews.com. Follow him on X @NoahZahnn.