Margaret Buerkle's Got Talent

When the honor society students of Margaret Buerkle Middle School first approached their advisers with the idea that they wanted to hold a talent show, the response was, "No way."

"I said, 'If you really want to do this, you'll have to write up a proposal,' thinking they wouldn't do it," said Lynn Ruder, who has been a co-sponsor for the National Junior Honor Society for 15 years. "And the little stinkers did it, and it was good."

That was 10 years ago. Now, the event routinely raises thousands of dollars each year for the school. Last year, the $2,500 raised went to a teacher who was going through treatment for throat cancer. This year it will be used to buy projection systems for the social studies classrooms.

Karen Torretta, who co-sponsored the club with Ruder before she left the school to teach at Oakville High School, said the kids run the whole production themselves. They hold tryouts, decide who will perform, sell tickets, run the sound system and cameras, and emcee the evening.

Ruder is retiring at the end of the school year, so this was her last talent show as co-sponsor of NJHS. She said it has been a lot of fun and she will miss all of the kids. There were many hugs after the show.

"Some years there's more talent than others," Ruder said with a smile, "but it takes a lot of courage to get up there, I admire them for that.