Watch some of the most talented students Washington state Has to Offer
The virtual setting isn’t stopping our students from showcasing their talents. This year you can look forward to impressive vocals, moving poetry, and look back at the stunning art of the annual OSPI art show. Get to know our student performers below!
Jordan Mattox
Jordan Mattox, a junior at Mead High School in Spokane, is the 2020 Poetry Out Loud Washington State Champion. She was among 12 high school students who competed at the State Final held on March 7 at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma.
Maddox states, “I didn’t start off absolutely loving poetry, but once you find a poem that really resonates with you, your appreciation for just literature in general can be deepened so quickly. That’s what happened to me. It’s such a great way for one to express themselves and it’s a way to share with other people things that are important to you—it’s why Poetry Out Loud is so important to me.”
Sage Jacobs
Sage Jacobs picked up the violin in kindergarten and has been playing ever since, loving how it provides an escape from the stresses of everyday life in the form of beautiful music. He takes private lessons from Elizabeth Stuen-Walker, who helped him complete the Suzuki repertoire. He is a Senior at Bellingham High School, where he joined the chamber orchestra freshman year and has been contributing as a first violin for the last three years, playing gigs in the community, concerts throughout the year, and joining the pit in the 2019 musical.
In addition, Sage has participated in the SJMEA Orchestra Honors Festival, SJMEA Solo/Ensemble Competition, WWU Chamber Days, and the Seattle Rock Orchestra’s Summer Institute. He’s honored to play his great-grandfather’s violin that he brought from Germany in 1904, when he was 13 years old. Sage has received the Service Above Self from the Bellingham High School Chamber Orchestra in 2018 (Student Choice) and 2020 (Director’s Choice).
Josiah Aho
Josiah is a senior at Ferndale High School. He has been heavily involved in choir throughout high school, singing in the Talons, Concert, and Swing Choirs at Ferndale. He was selected for the All-Northwest Symphonic Choir in 2019 and the All-State Symphonic Choir in 2020. He is also a talented actor and has participated in 9 theatrical productions so far at FHS. He was recognized by the 5th Avenue Theatre Awards program with an Honorable Mention for Featured Actor for his role as Lurch in Ferndale High School’s 2019 production of “The Addams Family.” For the COVID version of the awards program in 2020, he was recognized with a “You Hit the High Note” designation for his role as Col. Pickering in “My Fair Lady”. Josiah participated in the SJMEA Solo and Ensemble competition in 2019 and 2020, earning Excellent and Superior ratings, respectively. He currently takes private voice lessons.
Bellingham Showstoppers
The Bellingham High School Showstoppers is the outstanding, advanced small mixed vocal ensemble of three choral ensembles currently offered at Bellingham High. This exceptional group has won 1st place for the last 18 out of 20 years at the Regional Solo/Ensemble Contest. In addition, Showstoppers won 1st place in the state competition in 2015 and 3rd place in 2016. Under the leadership of Linda Short, a 40 year veteran of Bellingham Public Schools, this group is often in demand to perform at various schools in the district, as well as throughout Washington and Oregon. They are also committed to over 20 annual community events in addition to regular concerts. They will be performing “Imagine” with Brody Buck as a soloist. This song was recorded in recognition of the excellent work of the Bellingham School District school board.
Kendra Lund
Kendra is a senior at Ferris High School in Spokane, Washington, and is highly skilled in music. She has extensive choir experience participating in her school’s treble, jazz, symphonic, and show choirs. Kendra was awarded the “most inspirational” for treble choir in 2017, received a gold medal for a Musicfest solo in 2019, and was a state qualifier for a soprano solo in Solo and Ensemble this year. She has also participated in Ferris’ theater program all four of her high school years. In 2019, she landed the lead role, Maria von Trapp, in the Sound of Music the Musical.
And that’s not all
In addition to watching all these talented student performers, you can also relive the 2020 OSPI Superintendent’s High School Art Show as some of Washington state’s most creative students showcase their works.
Don’t miss out on watching some of the most talented students Washington state has to offer!