After nearly a decade without a talent show, Pennridge High School is bringing back the tradition this December. Still, organizers face an uphill battle convincing students to participate in an event that once drew huge crowds. Student Council President Molly Torrice acknowledges the challenge ahead. A survey of 59 students reveals that only 12% plan to perform, with average excitement levels hovering at a 5.4 out of 10. Still, Torrice remains hopeful that the free event can help rebuild school spirit after the elimination of winter ball and the Mr. Pennridge tradition. “Participate, get your friends to participate—it could be really fun if we all come together as a school,” Torrice said. The talent show is part of a broader effort by the administration and Student Council to create accessible, community-building events. With the winter ball cut due to lack of participation and profit, school leaders saw an opportunity to fill that space with something that wouldn’t cost students anything to attend.
The decision to bring back the talent show came primarily from the administration, though the Student Council agreed to support the initiative. “Both, but more administrative,” Torrice said when asked who drove the decision. “Administration pushed for it, student council agreed.” The show has been strategically scheduled for the half day before winter break, a choice that Torrice says was intentional. “We do not want to miss instructional time,” she explained, adding that absent students “should not impact the event as a whole” unless they were planning to be very active participants. Teachers have largely embraced the idea with minimal disruption to their academic schedules. A survey of 14 teachers found that 12 of them said they did not feel the talent show would negatively impact their lesson plans. Most reported having only a reinforcement review planned for the half day, particularly with Biology Keystones not scheduled until January 8 and 9. Eighty-six percent of survey teachers said they are looking forward to the event. “I think a lot of the teachers are just excited to see the talent show return,” said Melissa O’Brien, both a freshman biology and AP Seminar teacher.
Despite teacher enthusiasm, getting students on board has proven difficult. Student Council has held three meetings about the event, sent out signups, and reached out to sports teams to participate. “Engagement is the biggest issue,” Torrice admitted. Of the 59 students surveyed, only seven plan to perform. Student Council explored offering extra credit as an incentive for participation, but Torrice said the chances of that happening are “low”. Instead, organizers are “relying on word of mouth” to stir up interest. The attendance picture is slightly brighter, with 68% of surveyed students saying they plan to attend school on the half day. However, that still leaves nearly a third of students potentially absent, and many of those who rated their excitement at 1 out of 10 said they weren’t sure they’d even be there. Torrice and her fellow Student Council officers want the show to work, but she admitted they are “not very optimistic about it.”
Other schools have successfully made talent shows a cornerstone of their school culture. Penn High School in Indiana hosts an annual talent show in the first three weeks of January, complete with auditions and rehearsals. Whitney High School in California held a talent show in February 2025 that lasted nearly three hours during the school day. Both schools treat events as established traditions that bring their communities together. Whether Pennridge can rebuild that tradition remains to be seen.
The success of this year’s talent show will ultimately depend on whether students embrace it. For now, the event exists in a state of limbo, supported by administration and teachers, but met with hesitance from the student body it’s meant to serve. O’Brien remains hopeful that the show can recapture what made past events special. Student Council, meanwhile, is doing everything it can to make the event work, even if they’re not entirely confident it will. “The event has a lot of potential,” Torrice said. “It can build school spirit if we come together to enjoy this event.” Where the Pennridge student body will come together remains the biggest question mark of all.
