At the annual Rockvember Fest on Nov. 8, students took a break from classes for advisee conferences, games such as dodgeball, advisory group activities and a talent show. From seven acts, the judges – English teacher Jason Hinojosa, chemistry teacher Victoria Conner and senior Spencer Scott – chose freshman Garman Xu’s piano performance of “Prokofiev Gavotte Op. 12, No. 2” by Sergey Prokofiev and “Étude Op. 10, No. 12” by Chopin. Xu, who won a $50 gift card, has played at Carnegie Hall twice.
Rockvember Fest talent show winner freshman Garman Xu plays "Prokofiev Gavotte Op. 12 No. 2" by Sergei Prokofiev. (Photo by Shimin Zhang)
Sophomore Dylan Margolis raps "Lose Yourself" by Eminem with his brother, senior Jackson Margolis (not pictured). (Photo by Shimin Zhang)
Senior Michelle Whitney (far right), lead singer of the "new" Garage Band, smiles at freshman guitarist Stella Fluetsch (left), during their performance of "Holiday" by Green Day. Founded this year, the "new" Garage Band consists of veteran Garage Band member Whitney and new members Fluetsch, freshman drummer Zander Cornelius, senior guitarist Naomi Turnbull, sophomore guitarist Lilah Shorey, junior keyboardist Stephanie Ye and freshman pianist Grace Zhao. (Photo by Shimin Zhang)
Freshman Natalie Park plays the harp. (Photo by Shimin Zhang)
The "old" Garage Band – consisting of bass guitarist Aaron Graves, a senior; lead singer Téa Huynh Van, a senior; drummer Allie Bogetich, a junior; and guitarist Max Kemnitz, a senior – perform "Hysteria" by Muse and "Reptilia" by The Strokes. (Photo by Shimin Zhang)
Emcee senior Charles Thomas cracks a joke before heading offstage. (Photo by Shimin Zhang)
While the judges deliberate, students play musical chairs. Junior Avinash Krishna claps after advancing to the next round. (Photo by Hermione Xian)
Huynh Van adjusts the microphone before singing with and accompanying Whitney on the piano. The duo performed "Dancing On My Own" by Calum Scott. (Photo by Shimin Zhang)
Ukuleleist Sarina Rye, a junior, sings with and accompanies senior Héloïse Schep for their mash-up of "Falling" and "Cosmic Love" by Florence and the Machine. (Photo by Shimin Zhang)
Turnbull plays during the "new" Garage Band's performance. (Photo by Hermione Xian)
Librarian Joanne Melinson’s advisory eats breakfast during the time allotted for advisory activities. (Photo by Hermione Xian)
Accompanied by Bogetich, Graves performs a solo. (Photo by Hermione Xian)
—By Larkin Barnard-Bahn
