Talents for Auction

Megan Chang

As the crowd poured onto the outdoor basketball court on Friday, March 10th, upbeat music blasted through the big speakers, along with a hearty, cheerful welcome from Mr. Karl Steinkamp and Mr. Larry Chinn that commemorated the start of the 2017 Junior For Hire. This annual event allows juniors to earn money for other events, such as the Junior-Senior Banquet (JSB), by auctioning off their talents and capabilities.

Along with this, the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) prepared an array of cuisines—from Korean to Malaysian to Western. With their coupons in hand, parents and students toured the food stalls surrounding the court and chose dishes to their liking. Moreover, the junior class store sold refreshing canned drinks and creamy ice cream that compensated for the hot weather.

As the announcement was made for the event to begin, people settled down into their seats, and little children gathered at the front of the stage. The juniors presented their abilities as they were called onto stage one by one.

“Ke-Erh Huang completed AP Calculus in 8th grade,” said Mr. Chinn in Huang’s introduction, which grabbed the audience’s attention and garnered a few looks of astonishment. Like a few other juniors, Huang chose to put her knowledge in math to good use by tutoring other students. A tight competition arose between two parents who sat side by side as they brought the bid higher against each other.

The juniors continued to stun the audience with their hidden talents—perfect scores on the SAT, weightlifting, cooking, making dreamcatchers, playing the ukulele, 3D printing, and much more. Juniors’ parents took pride in seeing their children’s accomplishments and willingness to work hard for what they wanted.

Everyone had a good time watching or participating in the Junior For Hire. There was even room for a few good laughs as some juniors were dressed in wacky outfits and dropped a few jokes here and there. As the event came to an end, Mr. Chinn thanked everyone for supporting the juniors, and the court resounded with a round of applause.