Talent abounds this Friday at Washington High School, as Beaufort County Schools welcomes student performers from throughout the school system for its annual Steppin’ Out talent show. From dancing first graders to senior musicians, all 12 traditional schools at BCS will be represented in this year’s performance.

In addition to giving BCS students an opportunity to show their talent, Steppin’ Out also provides teachers with opportunities to try new things in the classroom. The evening is sponsored by the Beaufort County Education Foundation, and proceeds from ticket sales will be used to fund Partners in Education Grants, which promote innovative classroom strategies.

“So, it’s really a double whammy,” BCS Curriculum Coordinator Ashley Padgett said. “Kids get to go on stage and showcase their talent, but all of that goes back into giving teachers money to do really creative work in our school system.”

The lineup for this year’s show includes:

• Three concert bands from Chocowinity Middle, P.S. Jones and Southside High School
• Show choirs from Eastern Elementary School, John Cotton Tayloe and Washington High School
• Excerpts from the play “Annie” by students at Bath Elementary
• A performance featuring the Northside High School dance team and the school’s special need students
• A drum performance and singing from Chocowinity Primary
• A tribute to Donshae Miller by students at S.W. Snowden Elementary
• A fishing skit by students from John Small Elementary
• A piano/vocal performance by Northeast Elementary students

“You have everything from the cutest of the little cuties to high school students,” Padgett said. “If you like concert bands, we’ve got three of those, if you like cute kids dancing, we’ve got that and if you want to cry a little bit, we’ve got that and everything in between.”

Each group will have approximately five minutes for its act, placing the total run time for the production right at an hour. Students from Washington High School will serve as leaders for the show, taking care of stage management, lights and tech work.

Doors open at Washington High School at 5:15 p.m. on Friday, with the show starting at 6 p.m. Tickets for the show are $7 each and are available at the BCS central office today and Friday, as well as at the door on Friday evening.