The Smoke Signal

By: Staff Writer Megan Ren

Lunchtime saw a lot of participants visiting each team’s booth. The teams sold goodies ranging from the much-loved “choreos” (chocolate chip cookie with an embedded Oreo) sold by Team Warriors For Life, to beaded bracelets from Team Glory Days.

This music-filled time slot also featured “Relay Idol,” MSJ’s own mini-version of American Idol. Each team sent forth one singer to perform on stage, with the top five advancing to the final round. Students were reluctant to enter the competition at first, but eventually a group of approximately 20 singers stood in line to perform.

The audience clapped along and cheered on the singers, who performed a variety of songs from Christian gospel to radio pop to classic Disney. A few braver groups incorporated dance moves into their performances, which were well-received by the audience. The judges, Sophomore Soukhya Inamdar, Junior Ashna Guliani, and Junior Laura Chen gave helpful and often punny feedback to the singers. The top three performers, Sophomore Chelsy Simran, Freshmen “Baby Trio” Anna Lan, Brenda Wu, and Julia Chin, and Senior Tarika Srinivasan, were chosen by a combination of audience approval and judges’ opinions.

Regarding Relay Idol, Sophomore Mohini Vaidya said, “It was really entertaining, and I loved that people had so much confidence.” To conclude the musical segment of the event, MSJ’s Syncopasians took the stage with an a capella rendition of  “Cosmic Love” by Florence and the Machines.

Stay tuned for our next update in a few hours to see coverage of the Mr. Relay competition among other festivities.

Photos: Staff Writers Kevin Chen, Megan Ren, and Lillian Zhao