Talent show culminates Catholic Schools Week celebration at St. Louise de Marillac
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Kindergartner Verena Belldina performs during the St. Louise de Marillac School talent show.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Sixth-grade teacher Katie White and her first-grade daughter, Penny, teach Principal Ken Klase some dance steps.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Fifth-grader Betty Glyptis demonstrates a different way of playing piano.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Second-grader Avery Sullivan performs a piano piece.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
From left are second-graders Kassidy Ray, Brye Chalovich, Tessa Salsi and Greta Lasky.
Second-grader Olivia Naguit has been playing guitar since she was 3.
Fourth-grader Makenna Marks performs on piano.
From left, kindergartners Ivy and Ravenna Rinto perform a vocal duet.
Third-grader Sofia Iafrate dances for the St. Louise audience, mostly via live stream.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Ventriloquist Mia Rossa is a third-grader at St. Louise de Marillac.
Showing her skills on the violin is seventh-grader Anna Lucarelli.
Kindergartner Lukas Gazarik tells a series of jokes, with the assistance of Principal Ken Klase.
Eighth-grader Thomas Rodriguez and his first-grade brother, Patrick , perform a song called "Friends On the Other Side."
Katie White and daughter Penny wrap up their dance routine.
Fourth-grader Kelly Hyrb performs an Irish dance.
Second-grader Kate Fullem wraps up her piano performance.
Fifth-grader Josi Boni performs on clarinet.
Fourth-grader Amelia Bise displays her vocal talents.
If she was a bit nervous, nobody who was watching in person or at home could tell.
Five-year-old Verena Belldina was one of the many students who dazzled during St. Louise de Marillac School’s annual talent show, held Feb. 5 as the culminating event of Catholic Schools Week.
“She decided all on her own to sign up for that, picked out her outfit and did a dance she learned from Borelli’s dance school in Bethel Park,” said Seashal Belldina, Verena’s mother. “I thought she was so brave for a 5-year-old to do that.”
Seashal joined other parents of students at the Upper St. Clair school in watching a live stream of the talent show, as staff and faculty members organized an event that continues St. Louise’s commitment to everyone’s safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Principal Ken Klase served as master of ceremonies for the talent show, which featured students served up an assortment of song, dance and comedy during a thoroughly entertaining afternoon.
Some highlights included sixth-grade teacher Katie White and her first-grade daughter, Penny, wrapping up their dance by trying to teach it to their principal, and fifth-grader Betty Glyptis playing “upside-down piano,” with her lying face-up on the bench while her fingers extended backward, playing her piece flawlessly.
The event also provided opportunities for students who are learning remotely to participate from their homes.
At St. Louise, students were treated to numerous other special activities during Catholic Schools Week, such as bingo and trivia games, character storytellers and a visit from the Kona Ice truck.
The week also celebrated the school’s resilience during the pandemic, as it has been open for all but a few days of in-person instruction during this most challenging of academic years.