(April 2, 2013) — In the scorching heat of the sun, members of ASB ran around to prepare forty- five minutes before the Talent Show on March 15th. Some acts paced nervously, while others practiced in halls and off in hidden corridors.

At twelve o’ clock, the entire student body filed into the amphitheater ready to watch the show. The Director of Activities, junior Sherry Zaki, rallied the crowd held a contest for the loudest section of the amphitheater.

The winners, which were the class of 2014, received visors to keep the sun out of their eyes. Several acts performed as junior Vahan Ghazaryan assisted with the technical equipment and upcoming performers. Despite the numerous acts, one duo’s performance made the crowd react strongly; juniors Avetis Dishigrikian and Kirk Mekerdichian rendition of “Stand Up For Your Rights” by Bob Marley. Dishigrikian played the piano while Mekerdichian sang.

According to Dishigrikian, the decision to perform had been a last minute one. “We had considered performing, but not seriously because Kirk and I didn’t know the formal regulations, but once we did decide to perform we ended up giving an impromptu delivery of amazing talent considering it was planned five days before the show,” Dishigrikian said. Prior to their performance, the two had been thinking of ideal names for their group.

A junior, a friend of the performers, explained the etymology behind the group’s name. “Kirk and Avetis decided to call themselves ‘The Broken Healers.’ I though it was ingenious because it was a combination of their last names’ meanings. Avetis’ last name translates to broken and Kirk’s translates to Baptist. However, Kirk is secular which is why they chose to refer to themselves to ‘The Broken Healers’ instead of ‘The Broken Baptists.’ Anticipation and excitement was evident in the crowd as they approached the piano and microphone.

Chants of “We want Kirk” and “We want Dish” were being repeated as the music began. The audience also joined in on the chorus while Mekerdichian was singing. “The atmosphere was infectious; the entire left side of the amphitheater was standing up and chanting,” he added. Towards the end of the performance, shouts even changed to become a chorus of “We want boost.” “We got a great vibe from the crowd,” Dishigrikian said, “We might even perform next year, but you’ll have to wait and see. The best performances are kept secret.”