Written By: Georgina Murphy

When the air starts to get cold, flakes of snow begin to fall, and tests start to pile on, it can only mean one thing: Winter Break is coming. And if Winter Break is coming, then naturally, the annual RCDS Upper school Holly and Folly show is around the corner. As we recently saw, there were many memorable moments from 2025’s so-called “untalented talent show.”

Holly and Folly is RCDS’s annual talent show which occurs the Friday before winter break. It is meant as a way for students to showcase their quirky hobbies and skills, or as student government better describes it, a place where “the semi-untalented shine and the talented stay seated.” Acts and performances range anywhere from stand-up comedy to musical performances.

This year, former Upper School student body president, Emily Cheigh ‘25, followed tradition and returned to help the current student government run Holly and Folly.  This year’s Holly and Folly started off with a short video clip from Ethan Feng ‘28.  His video included different snippets of him driving a car in a car simulation video game over large obstacles. As the video went on, the obstacles got more and more difficult, and the crowd cheered the car on to success Following that act, Angelina Gui ‘27 performed the song “Audition (the fools who dream),” from the movie and musical La La Land while Upper School Science teacher Mr. Hirsch accompanied her on the piano. In an event dedicated to celebrating a lack of a traditional talent, Gui clearly did not understand: she is extremely talented and has a beautiful voice.  We hope to see her at the end of year talent show.  Additionally, this year, the Peer Leaders recorded a lip sync video to the Pitch Perfect rendition of the song “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson. Each pair of Peer Leaders acted as a different Pitch Perfect character, making the whole Upper School laugh.  And finally, last, but most certainly not the least, the closing act of Holly and Folly was by Troy Dunne ‘28 and Brandon Testa ‘28, who performed “A Roblox Christmas Rap Battle” by memory. Their performance was cheery, fun, and surprisingly catchy.

Holly and Folly is a lighthearted way for students to showcase their fun talents and hobbies to the Upper School community in a low-stakes and inviting environment. Holly and Folly is also a way for students to decompress after the stressful and hectic weeks leading up to Winter Break and be able to have a good laugh with their peers before they part for the new year.  Holly and Folly is a beloved tradition, and hopefully, many more will cause many more laughs in the future.