On Saturday, Nov. 7, the AFS Variety Show was held at Homestead High School. This year, Homestead hosted five students: John Jin from China, Cindy Cheung from Hong Kong, Nahyr Velazquez from Paraguay, Filipe Silva from Portugal and Maria Luisa Amaral from Brazil.

The AFS exchange program is designed to give students an experience filled with new cultures and a chance to make new friends.

Since 1962, Homestead has used the AFS Variety Show to celebrate the AFS students, as well as use it as an opportunity to give Homestead students a chance to share their artistic talents.

To start off the show, a group of Homestead girls sang “The Star Spangled Banner.” Then, Mark Smith, the AFS chapter president, introduced the AFS students. For the first act, Yanni Chudnow, senior; Jesse Honigberg, senior; Ryan Conrad, senior; Nathan Schimpf, junior; Thomas Blaubach, senior; and Nigel Dampeer, junior, played “Soul Sacrifice” by Santana.

Following that, Gwyneth Cain, sophomore, sang “Castle in the Sky” from the musical “Les Miserables.” “I was nervous,” Cain said.

Vinette Davis, senior, sang “Stay” by Rihanna, then Khoi Do, senior, and Nicole Raymond, senior, performed a song by Halsey. After that came the duet with Anna Oates, freshman, and Cate Heilmann, freshman, singing “Someone Like You” by Adele. Then, Harry Houdini’s Mask Traveling Band, consisting of Jesse Honigberg, senior, Yanni Chudnow, senior, Ryan Conrad, senior, and Ken Wick-Eckert, performed, followed by Whyte Noise, consisting of Erin Meskimen, senior, Honigberg, Max Michelson, senior, and Chudnow.

Emma Zander, junior, and Emily Boehlke, junior, sang “Bad Blood” by Taylor Swift, then the AFS students performed a skit. Ending act one was a slideshow introducing the AFS students and presenting more information on AFS.

Act two started off with the Homestead jazz ensemble, featuring a number of Homestead band students. Whyte Noise then performed another song following a hip hop dance by Jada Davis, senior.

Lavita Hollis, junior, and Timbriel Paris, junior, sang a duet to Frank Ocean’s song “Thinking About You.” “I was excited and nervous,” Paris said. Afterwards, Lauren Brill, senior, sang a solo called “Losing My Mind” from the musical “The Follies.” “Since it was my third and final AFS Variety Show, it has been an experience that has shown my growth as a singer throughout the years,” Brill said.

Jessie Schoessow, junior, and  Boehlke sang “Burning House” by Cam, then Juliette Tonnacliff, senior, and Emmery Wilson, freshman, danced to the song “Rotten from the Core” from the movie “Descendants.”

Mr. James Davies, science teacher, sang and played guitar to the song “Fools Gold” by The Damn Quails. Afterwards, Kira Dayton, junior, played the “Sonata in F Major” by Mozart on the piano. In a tribute to the veterans, Sarah Osowski, senior, sang “Been Here All Along” by Miley Cyrus with a power point.

The Great Jazz Band performed “Bluemonk” by Thelonious Monk and “Cantaloupe Island” by Herbie Hancock. Next, the HHS Color Guard performed, followed by Nick Gardison, senior, and George Ballesteros, senior, who rapped “Rappers Delight” by Sugar Hill Gang.

“I think I did fantastic. As the last act in the show waiting to go on, the nerves brush right off. I was nervous at first, but while on stage, I was ready to go and loving it,” Gardison said.

“AFS is the perfect setting for all students of Homestead High School to showcase their talents and abilities to the rest of the student body,” Brill said. To finish off the night, a group of students performed “Shut Up and Dance with Me” by Walk the Moon.