Memory connects Stars of Tomorrow winners, past and present
Apr. 17—CHEYENNE — Standing before generations of Wyomingites at the center of the Central High School auditorium stage, Molly Koch, a senior at Central, heard her name called to receive the award for Best in Show at the 69th Kiwanis Stars of Tomorrow event on Sunday.
Among those in the crowd were parents, friends, teachers, alumni and past competitors in the long-running community talent show.
Koch is only the latest to receive the grand trophy, but, admittedly, winning wasn't at the forefront of her mind during her performance on Sunday afternoon.
That spot was held for her brother, who passed away recently, and she wanted to be sure to put as much emotion into her performance as possible.
"It really wasn't about the winning," Koch told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle after the award ceremony. "To me, it was about honoring my brother and his family — my family. I'm so glad. Obviously, it feels great to win, and I'm just gonna use that as a way to know that he's watching over me and that he was willing to be on that stage with us."
Koch, who won the Senior High Division of the local contest, will now progress to the Stars of Tomorrow regional competition in Sheridan on May 7.
With her on stage as finalists for Best in Show were Hobbs Elementary fourth grader Grace Christopherson, who won the Elementary Division with her vocal performance, and McCormick Junior High eighth grader Malea Adams-Case, who won the Junior High Division with a piano solo. Despite the tight competition between the three, Koch had a firm grip on the hearts of the audience, many cheering her name and giving a standing ovation after her win.
It was a significant moment for Koch, whose performance was layered with her years of experience as a local dancer. But it was also a display of the defining characteristic that makes Kiwanis Stars of Tomorrow such an impactful event for the local community.
Laramie County School District 1 students performed dance routines, comedy acts, instrumental music and vocal numbers throughout the event. The talent show provides unparalleled competition experience for the students, but it's also an exercise in confidence, speaking and performance skills that the general population rarely has the opportunity to develop.
"Ava Sutton, who's a senior in high school — I've known Ava and watched her in the show since she was in late elementary or early junior high," said Lorrell Walter, who's been the Stars of Tomorrow chairman for 10 years. "Now, she's a senior. Taryn Davis is a dancer. She's been in this show since she was 5, and she's now in eighth grade.
"I've got a lot of people who just come back year after year after year."
Just as members of the audience congratulated Koch personally, others were doing the same for the longtime performers and the more recognizable high schoolers in the show. Members greeted one another upon finding their seat, different participants and attendees identifying distant connections between themselves and other performers — be they on stage or in the audience.
Cassadie Anderson was one such attendee. Now enrolled at the University of Wyoming, Anderson traveled from Laramie to watch the show after winning the senior high category in 2020. She had performed in the competition every year since she was in kindergarten.
Anderson was joined by friend, fellow UW student and former Stars of Tomorrow competitor Taylor Olsen. Both have backgrounds competing in dance in Cheyenne, with Anderson recalling her time performing as simply her best opportunity to get on stage and do what she loves.
Aside from supporting friends and former dance team members, one of the primary reasons for Olsen's attendance was to support people she still dances with today.
"We know a lot of the dancers in the show because we danced with them growing up, and I still dance with some of them now," Olsen said. "I come back once a week to dance with them."
It's a testament to the community spirit of the event to see Olsen and Anderson still in attendance years after having competed, but there's one person who was integral to the entire show whose involvement is running more than 40 years their senior.
Manipulating the audio and technical equipment in the small box above and behind the audience, Kevin Madigan, longtime Cheyenne Central band director, recalled the time he competed — and won — the 1978 installment of Stars of Tomorrow.
He and a group of friends, all of whom played in the school's jazz band together, assembled a quartet just five days before the competition. Before they knew it, they were winning the regional competition, as well, progressing on to Loveland, Colorado, for an even bigger stage.
Like Koch, though, it was never about winning.
"I came out on the winning end of it, but I think even to learn that you can still have a good day (if you lose)," Madigan said before the show. "Maybe it was instilled in me by my dad, but just get up there and do your best and let the rest take care of itself.
"That's what we were all about. We were just gonna go have a good time. If we win, great. If not, we had a good time going."
Madigan is a prime example of the interconnectivity that Stars of Tomorrow cultivates among the community. Throughout the event, he even leveled audio as his former student, Erica Tonso, served as master of ceremonies.
To make matters more unique, Tonso's own daughter, Sydney Roe, competed as the youngest performer in the show — a first grader.
"It kind of goes around, and it's really kind of weird the way that it works out," Madigan said.
Will Carpenter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's Arts and Entertainment/Features Reporter. He can be reached by email at wcarpenter@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3135. Follow him on Twitter @will_carp_.
