THIS week, we recap all the experiences of the fifth season of the teenAGE Expression Tours. Once again, we toured the length and breadth of the island each week to find some of the most unique and talented teenagers.

In all, 24 schools hosted the Tour and in July winners from each school will battle it out to see who is the most talented teen.

Belair School

The Belair School in Mandeville, Manchester kicked off the fifth season of the teenAGE Observer Expression Tours.

The school showcased 13 performers with talents ranging from drumming to rapping and even dub-step dancing.

At the end of the performances third place went to the Belair Rappers, second place to Daunte Forbes, who delivered a memorable drum solo that had the school cheering.

As good as those two participants were, first place was reserved for the impressive Zantia Duncan, who did a superb rendition of Louise Bennett’s Cuss Cuss.

Greater Portmore High

Next in line was Greater Portmore High School. The rain interrupted the plans on the intended day but the school and the teenAGE crew were in high spirits nonetheless and returned the following morning to take a look at the talents that Greater Portmore had to offer.

Twelve acts took to the stage to showcase their forms of expression, and overall it was a pretty good showing.

When the judges had finished tallying up their scores, it was announced that Odane Samuels was in third place, while Brittany Gentles secured second. In first place were the SNT Dancers — Ryan Lawrence, Lloyd Williams and Okitto Anglin.

Porus High

The third stop on the teenAGE Observer Expressions Tours was Porus High School in Manchester, and what a spectacular show that was.

This was easily the biggest turnout of the tours thus far, as over 20 participants queued up to wow the crowd and the judges with their talents. Though long, the day was by no means uneventful as act after act vied for a chance to represent the school in the national finals.

The judges had a tough time choosing winners from the vast number of talented teens, but in the end, third place to Georgia Lindsay and Company, second place to Sandray Francis and Kevaun Whitely, and first place to Chantae Scott.

St Catherine High

Next on the route was the largest one-shift high school in the Caribbean — St Catherine High. The school is not only big on students, but also on talent, so unsurprisingly, they had some of the best talent pieces we would witness all season.

Fourteen talents took to the stage and displayed a variety of skills, spanning vocal prowess to instrumental gifts.

After all the excitement of the performances had ended, the judges tallied their scores. In third place was Venice McFarquhar, while second place went to the St Catherine High School Drummers. First place went to the very deserving Lisa-Lee Barnett with her spoken word piece Who Is Responsible?

Ferncourt High

Following St Catherine High was Ferncourt High School in St Ann. Even with the threat of Hurricane Sandy, all the students came out to show off their ability.

As it turned out, 12 acts felt they had the ability to emerge on top and don the tag of most expressive teen at the school.

In third place was Reloaded Dancers, while second place went to Kerryann Barnett and Company. First place went to Abi-Gaye Boyd, who took to the stage and sang her heart out in a show-stopping performance.

Green Island High

Nestled just outside the town of Lucea in Hanover was our next stop; the teenAGE Observer Expression Tours journeyed to Green Island High School.

Singing, dancing and drama were all on Green Island’s talent agenda, and the school body thoroughly enjoyed the talent of their fellow students. Twenty-one contestants in all sang, danced and recited poetry to the applause of their peers.

After the esctatic crowd relaxed following the guest artistes’ performances, the judges’ decisions were announced. For the first time in tour history, there was a tie for second place between Akieme Shaw and Iesha McKella. First place went to Michael Jackson fan, Raheim Sommerville.

Lennon High

Mocho in Clarendon was the next town visited by the teenAGE Obsever Expression Tours, as the crew ventured to Lennon High School.

The Lennon High students made it one of the best tours we have had this season, with their vibe pushed by teacher/emcee Taniesha Reckley-Fearon. The low turnout of only nine contestants was easily overshadowed by their impressive displays and skills.

When the dust had settled from all the excitement, it was announced that the judges had finished deliberating and the winners had been picked. In third place was the Lennon High School Junior Dancers, while second place went to songstress Crisilae Slowley. Taking first place was the Music Club for their hilarious skit.

Kingston High

The following stop on the teenAGE Observer Expression Tours found us in the auditorium of Kingston High School on King Street. The emcee was teacher Andrea Gray, who knew all the buttons to push to get and keep the students energised.

In front of a packed audience, 17 contestants took aim at the prize to represent the school in the national finals in July. Artistes from Subkonshus Musik, Delus and Darrio, rocked the stage after the students had performed their hits.

In third place was the Steppa Family Dancers, while second place went to singer Carees Stephenson. Taking first place were the dynamic Jailaz dancers.

Kingston Technical High

The next stop for the Tour was on Hanover Street in Kingston, at Kingston Technical High School.

Eleven contestants performed for the captivated audience, who sang or moved in their seats to every note and twist their schoolmates made on the stage.

After the last performance, it was announced that the judges had finished deliberating, and had chosen the winners.

Taking third place was the Kingston Technical High School Senior Dance Group, while second place went to vibrant Street Team. Taking first place was Krystina James, who gave us one of the most memorable Whitney Houston performances we’ve ever experienced.

Maggotty High

There was a lot to see in the St Elizabeth heat, when teenAGE visited Maggotty High.

With a round-up of 16 performances, the majority of which were original pieces, Maggotty High put their best on show.

After tabulating the scores at the end of the proceedings, the judges arrived at the winners.

In third place was The Hyper Type; in second place was deejay Omar Morgan, and in first place were Sashie Forbes, Shanek Franklyn and Claudine Russell, who performed Block Roading, a poem that had some students on the brink of tears, because of laughter, of course.

Newell High

Nestled on the outskirts of Black River in St Elizabeth is the charming Newell High School.

Fourteen acts (many of them deejays) entertained their schoolmates for the duration of the show, and the crowd did not hide its satisfaction with the performances.

As per usual, however, there could only be one winner, so shortly after the performances the top spots were announced. Third place was a tie between the dance group Shan Squad and singer Ann-Marie Elliot, while second place went to the crowd favourite, deejay ML.

Taking first place was DJ Banki, who had the crowd screaming and cheering him on as he deejayed his original song about the greatness of his school, aptly named Newell High.

Ocho Rios High

We kick-started the new year by stopping at Ocho Rios High School for the second segment of the teenAGE Observer Expressions Tour.

Fifteen talents highlighted what was to be a memorable day for those who were known by their peers and those who were creative gems waiting to be discovered.

There were a number of breaks throughout the day for giveaways and mini-competitions, but the final break was taken to allow the judges to tally the points and decide the winner. Third place was awarded to Mafia Dance Troupe and second place to Akeen Fennell. Jevaughn Graham copped first place.

Camperdown High

Camperdown High School was filled with enthusiastic students and non-stop excitement.

The tour was hosted by sixth-formers Nakeem Weise and Corey Parker. The crowd was unusually smaller compared to other schools visited, but the students compensated for it with ear-splitting screams and raucous cheers for their fellow schoolmates. The judges were then left to decide the winner while the hosts kept the crowd occupied.

Third and second places were awarded to Sidoney Gordon and Ovatia Bartley, respectively, while first place was awarded to Fullephek Dancers.

Happy Grove High

Portland was the next stop on the Tour — Happy Grove High to be exact. Dubbed ‘Culture and Creativity’, the afternoon saw 23 performances.

Dancing, dub poetry, acting and singing were all on display for the cheering students in the audience.

At the end of Digicel Rising Stars alum Latty J’s performance, it was announced that in third place was the Spanish Club, while second place went to the Global Entertainers dancers. Winning first place was the Dance Club with their cultural and creative Kumina piece.

Foga Road High

The teenAGE Observer Expression Tours visited Foga Road High School in Clarendon. This fairly young high school offered a wide array of talents, which made for a very entertaining show.

There were 17 performances on the day. After the students’ pieces, guest artiste Droop Lion gave a spectacular performance for the crowd as the judges tallied up the scores and chose the winners. In third place was Andreen Smith, who had performed Mi Hungry. Second place went to DJ Monique Maylor. First place went to the Timeless Dancers.

Oberlin High

Oberlin High School, known as one of the best traditional high schools in rural St Andrew, did not disappoint on our next stop.

The talented students fed the entertainment-hungry crowd with sizzling performances. The emcee for the afternoon, teacher Sybil Bryant, kept the crowd alive during the transitions to great effect.

Dancehall artiste Patexx made an appearance with an energy-boosting performance, then it was announced that the judges were ready to announce the winners. Third place went to the BYM dancers, second place went to Ophelia Christian, while first place went to Shanalee Shields for her crowd-pleasing piece Mi Stink.

Fair Prospect High

The second visit to Fair Prospect and a second stop in Portland, this Tour brought even more energy than the first in 2011.

After 10 student performancs and another from teacher Kellee Merchant, the winners were chosen.

In third place was the Fair Prospect Cultural Dance Group, in second, with their skit Good Girls Gone Bad were Kimoy and company and the first place winners were the Future Dancers.

Jose Marti Technical High

The teenAGE Observer Expression Tours stopped at Jose Marti Technical High School on our weekly journey, and the trek from Kingston to the outskirts of Spanish Town was to foretell the kind of show we would experience — short and sweet.

Ten contestants decided to step out of the lot in a quest to gain bragging rights for the school for the upcoming national finals.

After the contestants showcased their craft, it was time for the judges to decide who the winners were. Guest artiste Etana entertained the audience during the break.

After her performance, the winners were announced. In third place with her poem, Bleaching, was Tacia Campbell. In second place with his moves and grooves was Aljay Findlay. First place went to Delano Fraser with Street Side.

Black River High

The next stop on the teenAGE Observer Expression Tours was Black River High School in St Elizabeth. Black River High gave us a thrilling experience — an excited crowd and amazing talent.

All contestants indicated through their pieces that they wanted a chance at the top spot. The judges truly had their job cut out for them as they had to score each outstanding performance and tally the scores to find the winner.

Guest artistes Delus and Darrio from the Subkonshus Camp kept the crowd entertained until that time came. In third place was Kenloy Smith with My Girlfriend. In second place with her hilarious monologue was Mandie Solomon. In first place was Jevone Andy with his poem Teachers.

Balaclava High

Balaclava High was blazing in the St Elizabeth heat when teenAGE Expression Tours stopped by. After all preparations had been done, the crowd piled into the auditorium eager to see what the day (and their peers) had in store for them.

It was easily one of the more appealing tour experiences for the crew. At the end of it all the judges had to decide from the list of talent who the winners were.

While they tallied up the scores, guest artiste Latty J performed for the audience.

At the end of her performance, the winners were announced. In third place was DJ Kemario Genius. O2 took second place with their acrobatic moments.

In first place were The PJs with their original song I Need Someone To Lean On.

Spalding High

‘Yah suh nice a dan Canada!’ This was what a ninth grade student from the Spalding High School shouted during the height of the teenAGE Expression Tours staged the following week in cool Manchester.

Singers, actors, musicians, poets — you name it, they had it. Numerous ‘school-grown’ talents entertained their fellow peers, the judges and the teenAGE crew.

The students were treated to guest performances following the last student act. Kibaki and Flexx in the Complex took to the stage and both did a great job.

After this it was time to get to the meat of the matter, the announcement of winners. Coming in third place was Chevaughn McKnight. Second place went to Kera and Company, and the winner was the Grade 9 Drama Group.

STETHS

The talent ‘tun up till it buck’ at St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) when teenAGE Observer Expression Tours visited them the following Tuesday.

STETHS offered up loads of original talents and, from beginning to end, it was a marvellous experience.

After all the performers had delighted the crowd, it was time for the guest performance. The charming, hype and energetic Cherine was present; singing, dancing and motivating the students, while the judges decided the winners.

At the end of her spectacular performance, the winners were announced. In third place was Trackers Dance Group and in second was DST. Holding down first place and the chance to represent their school at the Expression Tours Finals was Sweet Harmony.

Seaforth High

teenAGE Observer Expression Tours then stopped at Seaforth High School in the parish of St Thomas. Like many before it, the school boasted a long list of varying talents, the majority of which were original.

The contestants did themselves and their school proud with a very commendable showing.

When all the performances were over, it was time for the judges to decide the winners. As they deliberated, guest artiste Rasqo performed for the students. After his performance the winners were announced.

In third place, with his song Seaforth High was Ike Brown. In second place was Camesha Little with her poem School Girl. In first place with his solo act entitled Blessed St Thomas was Cedrae Walker.