Class of 2020 Prepares to Host 79th Annual Junior Varieties

Class of 2018 graduate, Bryana Bichotte, during the Step Team’s performance in the 2018 Junior Varieties. Photo from the 2017-18 Blue & Gold Archives.

Every year for the past 79 years, Malden High school has put on an event full of lively performances, called Junior Varieties or JV’s. This year the class of 2020 has the challenging but rewarding task of putting on this event.

The process so far has been going smoothly, when the 2020 class advisor Caitlin Quinn was asked she said that she is “a little nervous, but very excited as well. [She is] looking forward to playing a hand in students being able to showcase their talents for the community.” JV coordinator Olivia Santangelo stated that “so far the process hasn’t been too stressful because [they] are only running auditions and picking the theme. However, trying to please everyone and choose a theme that everyone will mostly agree on has been the most stressful so far.”

So far in the planning process for Junior Varieties, the class has already had their audition sign ups which went on from November 13th to November 30th. The class also held their auditions after school  from December 5th to 7th. The first rehearsal is scheduled to be held on January 2nd in the Jenkins auditorium.

For this year’s Junior Varieties, the class officers have been working very hard to make sure this year the event goes on with very few to no issues. “Some of the officers goals in order to make JV’s successful is to possibly make certain schedules weekly and check in during [their] meeting in order to monitor [their] process, basically making sure everyone is on the same page and that communication is [their] primary goal,” said JV coordinator Julia Argueta. The class is also already prepared should anything go wrong. “[They] are going to pay someone to standby so [they] can avoid any possible tech issues, and that if [they] have any tech issues [they will] be able to fix it quickly so the show can go on,” said Santangelo.

The audience of the 2020 Junior Varieties can expect none less than the great performances seen in years before. The class officers have been very thoughtful in their selection of performances to make sure of that. “This year like any other talent show, [they] have broadened [their] horizons to all types of acts and hope to see a sense of variation,” said Julia Argueta. There is an expected number from 15-20 acts that will perform at the show.

As for the theme ideas they are considering for the 79th annual Junior Varieties, Olivia Santangelo explained that “[they] are still deciding but as of right now [they] are thinking of doing a late night show.” The class is also changing aspects of this show compared to past groups that have put on this event. This year “the class of 2020 has decided to change things up a bit with [their] theme, setting [them] apart from classes before [them]. [They are] trying to make it less scripted rather much more interactive with the audience,” said Julia Argueta

As always the officers as well as the advisor are all very excited and looking forward to putting on this event. “So far the most exciting part for [her] has been the ability to carry out this tradition that has been in Malden High School ever since [her] dad was in High School. As well as, being able to see all the acts and see the various talents the performers have,” explained Olivia Santangelo. Argueta stated that “with JV’s approaching soon, she “can say that [she is] very excited, yet slightly nervous for what is to come in these next couple months.”

The show is scheduled to take place on March 8th and 9th, 2019 in the Jenkins auditorium.