Westmont entertains SB Bowl audience

Montecito college’s Spring Sing features variety of musical skits

By ANNIKA BAHNSEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

The cool air filled the Santa Barbara Bowl on Saturday evening, as Westmont College students and families anticipated the start of the long-awaited Spring Sing.

As one of Westmont’s longeststanding traditions, Spring Sing showcases many skits full of singing, dancing and comedic performances for the entire community to enjoy.

This year’s theme was “April Fools.”

Jackie Takarabe, a Westmont senior, and Blake Thomas, the school’s Intercultural Programs Director, were the emcees of the event. They produced skits and musicals of their own to entertain the crowd in between each performance. These little skits by the two were a highlight of the night, as each skit gave a humorous commentary on the diversity of the school.

The judges of this year’s Spring Sing included various professors; the producer of the event, Dylan Ferguson, and Ms. Ferguson’s father, William Ferguson.

There was a range of acts at the event including a kazoo performance from some members of the Westmont band, a duet from seniors Emma Hammond and Sibo Msibi, a skit about the sibling pairs at the school, and so much more.

The biggest event of the night, though, came from the campus’ residence halls. Each year, the dorm halls compete against each other with the creation of their own skits.

This year, the off-campus housing, nicknamed “OV,” took the winning trophy with their skit about an alternate reality where the school’s campus pastor, Scott Lisea, never graduated from Westmont and became the school’s pastor. The skit was intricate and included lots of the school’s inside jokes about chapel.

Lower-campus halls Armington and Van Kampen came in second and third place.

The award for the best side act of the show was given to a yo-yo performer, “Drake,” who wowed the crowd with his yo-yoing abilities.

A favorite skit of the Westmont community titled “Men in Short Shorts” made its beloved return. This skit has been part of Spring Sing for many years, as many of the men in the student body perform an abstract skit about, you guessed it, men being in short shorts.

NSTEP, the school’s dance team, also had the crowd on their feet as they danced to many well-known songs such as Lil Uzi’s “I Just Wanna Rock,” Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA” and Sean Paul’s “Shake That Thing.”

Ms. Ferguson alongside many other board members put together a show of a lifetime. She told the News-Press, “It truly was a night to remember. Everyone brought so much energy and excitement from the moment they entered the bowl.” email: abahnsen@newspress.com

As this year’s Spring Sing comes and goes, the Westmont student body eagerly awaits next year for the event’s legendary return.