On March 19th, 2026, members of the Mount community gathered together to celebrate the first ever Day of Giving. Students participated in service, bonding, and celebration activities that allowed everyone to display their unique abilities and share this experience in unity.
To conclude the day, students gathered in the auditorium to watch and perform in the school’s annual talent show and skits. To many, this is seen as the highlight of the school year because of the energy and spirit the students, faculty, and staff bring.
There were a variety of acts this year involving melodic music, entertaining comedy, and outstanding dances, showing off the creativity and hard work Mounties put into making the first Day of Giving one to remember. These performances show off everything special the Mount strives for, which is bringing everyone together as members of this shared community.
“I thought this year’s show was the best out of all of the previous years because of the unique acts that were performed. A majority of them were things I’ve never seen before,” Mare Rambo ‘26 said.
As a tradition for the talent show portion of the day, a group of senior students host the production, introducing each act and putting together skits to take place in between each performance. These skits are full of light-hearted jokes sprouting from anything popular online or interesting things currently happening at the Mount.
“Hosting was so much fun, all of the performances were amazing, and big congratulations to everyone who got up there!” Addi Ross ‘26 said.
“I strongly suggest to all seniors for next year to try to be hosts because it was so fun,” Shay Gura ‘26 said.
A prominent feature each year from the talent show is the senior song. This song is dedicated to the senior class as a way to acknowledge them for all their hard work. It is a reminder for all seniors that the Mount sisterhood bond lasts for many years to come. Although their time is almost over at this school, they can reflect on the past four years and their overall high school experience. This year’s senior song was Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried’s “Slipping Through My Fingers,” and it was sung by Gabi Balaratna ‘26 and Grace Balkowski ‘26.
“I really liked closing the show…we got moved to the end, which I think was a really special moment for the seniors just to kind of close out our last talent show and the whole Day of Giving,” Gabi Balaratna ‘26 said. “Student Council wise, I was backstage the whole time kind of helping out with the stage crew, so that was a fun perspective to get, and I saw how much hard work all the hosts put in.”
Performing a demonstration of the martial art Capoeira, English Teacher, Mr. Owen Grzywinski, tackled intense skills involving acrobatics in his act. Although this was not the first time Mr. Grzywinski performed on stage in front of others, this was his first time performing alone, which takes courage.
“I had a lot of fun performing for you guys, and it was fun bringing it to you and seeing all you guys check it out!” Mr. Owen Grzywinksi said.
The energy from the crowd was unstoppable for the singing of t.AT.u’s “All The Things She Said.” This act was full of energy and excitement as the audience sang along to the song for a majority of the performance.
“I think everyone was super excited because it was so unexpected, the energy was super high, and it was fun to watch because everyone knew the words to the song,” Maddie Kelly ‘26 said.
English Department Chair, Ms. Janet Iafrate, showed off her hidden talent of playing the mandolin during last year’s talent show as well as this one. This act was very heartwarming and enjoyable for everyone to watch as one of our notable teachers shined on stage singing The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love.”
“I usually play mandolin just for fun or with family, so playing in a giant auditorium is actually a little terrifying. Fortunately, everyone is extremely kind; otherwise, I would never be able to do that unless I was under hypnosis!” Ms. Iafrate said.
Sophomore vocal scholar, Tessa Maragos ‘28, performed in two acts during the talent show portion of the day. The first was with Mila Spisic ‘26 singing A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman. Her beautiful voice radiated throughout both of her performances, making the acts very moving and pleasant for the audience to watch.
“I loved seeing the crowd when I was performing, seeing everyone cheer, and watching everybody as a community supporting everybody else!” Tessa Maragos ‘28 said.
An Irish dance act performed by Kayleigh Costello ‘26, made for an excellent showcase of the skills she has put a lot of hard work into. Wearing a traditional Irish dance solo dress, Kayleigh marked the stage gracefully at our talent show.
“When I saw Kayleigh’s amazing performance I literally got chills, and I started tearing up a little bit because I am going to miss her next year,” Reagan Clouser ‘27 said.
Overall, the talent show this year was a huge success, highlighting the outstanding skills and gifts members of the Mount community have. The Day of Giving brought Mounties together to celebrate a day of fun while taking a break from academic stress and adding to another great Mount tradition.
