By Minnie Hutchins
We all know that Ray can play the guitar, and that Naomi can play every sport she tries. But what about the more obscure talents? There are many people at LREI whose talents are not recognized. Our student body is bursting with hidden talents just waiting to be uncovered. We are here to uncover some of the more quirky talents that the LREI students and faculty have to offer.
Speaking in tongues
Ninth grader Gray Sorrenti knows how to speak Gibberish. Sorrenti, along with two of her friends, taught herself how to speak gibberish–a language where you add “-idig-” before each vowel in a syllable–about two years ago. . She and her two friends decided to learn how to speak gibberish so they could talk privately with each other when other people were around. “My friends and I use it whenever we’re together, to talk about things that we don’t want people to hear,” Gray says. This hidden talent is very unique, as not many people know how to speak gibberish.
Weston drops a beat
Ninth grader Weston Delacey knows how to beatbox. In seventh grade Weston discovered his passion for beat-boxing and has developed his skills over the past two years. He first got into beatboxing when “a couple of [his] friends started to do it, and [he] just took it further,” Weston says. He taught himself to beatbox using YouTube tutorials and watching people on the street do it. Weston has not gotten into any beat-boxing battles yet, but says he’s mastering his skill, so when the time comes to take his talent to the next level, he’ll be ready.
Citizen what?
Photography teacher Susan Now has a secret talent: she’s a citizen pruner. As a citizen pruner, Susan is trained to cut away the dead or overgrown branches on trees or bushes in Central Park and Prospect Park. Two years ago, Susan met another teacher, who sparked her interest in tree pruning. To become a citizen pruner you must take a four week class, where you learn about different kinds of trees, and techniques to maintain them. It is a very unique and tough skill to master. “It’s hard at first to know what to prune and what to keep,” Susan says. Susan has big plans for her pruning and is even planning on starting a project with the trees on Charlton Street, trying to beautify some of them and add benches so that students can hang out.
There are many more obscure, unique talents around school that are just waiting to be uncovered. If you or a friend have a hidden talent that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves please email us at 17minnieh@lrei.org and share your talent with us!