This year’s Timberline’s Got Talent show was a great success, with so much skill, artistry, and bravery put on display. But it did not just begin last year; in fact, it has been a school tradition for over twenty years. What incredible acts have been performed in its time, and how has it changed over the years?
Originally, the talent show began as a school tradition before 2004, and was run by Student Council (STUCO) and held in the auditorium. Its location only moved to the main gym once the school population had become too large to pack into the smaller space. But while it was held in the auditorium, there had been an…unplanned event that occurred one year. As our own Mr. Kelly Gonser recollected from that time, in 2005, a student from Bishop Kelly had infiltrated the building, and in the middle of the show, ran shouting across the stage with nothing but a pair of boxers on his head. The audience broke out into a chaotic mess of shock, laughter, and incredulousness. He ran right out of the building, across Apple Street, and by what would become the seminary building to recover his clothes. He was caught and apprehended by Coach Gropp shortly after. The perpetrator was then brought to the office, where the Principal and Vice Principal of that era dealt with him. The nature of his consequences remain unknown. There had been two especially notable acts in this era, the first being a student who had played Guitar Hero on-stage with a near-perfect score, and the other being a duo act between two boys who performed an interpretive dance with a beach ball.
Eventually, however, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and for the first time in Timberline history, the talent show was cancelled, in the 2019-2020 school year. It would not return for several years, until the 2024-2025 year when it was brought back by Wolf Connection and given the new name Timberline’s Got Talent. It was not a competition, but still put many students’ performative talents on display.
Finally, we come to this year, 2025-2026. This past year saw a smaller set of acts, but no less creative, eccentric, and colorful. We saw one student, Jackson Pergande, perform a lovely song on the piano before allegedly forgetting the rest of it and making up a song about Mr. Burkhardt on-the-spot, as well as Mr. Hendershot conducting a meditative clay wheel-throwing session. Now, as the year draws to a close, we are left to wonder: what thrills will 2027 bring, and who will step up to the stage to show the world their talent?
