Just in case you’re wondering, the eighth-grade and seventh-grade classes at Great Bend Middle School are blessed with musical talent.
Singer-after-singer listed Great Bend Middle School as their school during tryouts for “Barton County’s Got Talent,” competition Saturday at Grace Community Church
Ashlyn Prescott, an eighth-grader, is a musical veteran. She was named The People’s Choice Award winner last year when she performed “Hurt,” by Christina Aguilera.
Prescott was on perfect pitch with Adele’s song “Skyfall.” She generally will work on a song for several weeks before she’s ready to perform.
“I usually don’t sing faster-paced songs like that,” she said.  “I usually sing a slower tempo song, but I really like the artist Adele.”
She has performed at the Barton County Fair, June Jaunt and Barton County Relay for Life. He performs with her school group “Music in Motion.”
“I began singing at the Wilson Czech Festival when I was 10 years old,” she said.
Prescott grew up in Great Bend and participates in musical groups at school. She has taken private voice lessons the past two years. She knew many of the girls performing Saturday.
“They are all my friends,” she said.
Katherine Snapp, GBMS seventh-grader sang “Valley of Laughter.” Paige Lofland and Christian Markovich sang “You Raise Me Up.” Maxwell and Ian McGilber sang “Sweet Dreams.” Henry Conner and Jay Conner sang “Say Something.”
Eighth-grader Brittany Birzer sand “Glory of Love.” Seventh-graders MacKenzie Norman and Jadon Ward sang “Titanium.”
After a  brief warmup, Jennifer Mickle, a Clara Barton Hospital nurse, sang “I Don’t Know.”
Eighth-grader Karlie Stanley performed a dance number. Hannah Mosier, 18, played a piano piece “Fantasy.”
“Barton County’s Got Talent,” dinner theater scheduled Jan. 25, 2014 is the chief fundraiser for Barton County’s Habitat for Humanity. Tickets for the dinner theater will go on sale in December. For more information, contact Rachel Mawhirter by calling 620-786-4896 or like the Facebook page for Habitat for Humanity: Barton County Area.
Last year’s 4th Annual “Barton County’s Got Talent” dinner theater raised more than $17,000 for the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity last January at Grace Community Church. More than 500 people attended last year’s talent competition.
Habitat for Humanity recently finished rehabilitating a home in Great Bend that was sold to generate revenue for new projects. Members plan the next building project in the summer of 2014.