To the editor:

On Feb. 15, it was my privilege to be one of four judges at the first “Oakville’s Got Talent” competition at the Mehlville School District’s new William B. Nottelmann Auditorium.

As a judge, I was seated on stage close by the performances, so I had a bird’s-eye view, and let me tell you what — these students from Oakville Middle School and Oakville High School are incredibly talented, indeed.

Personally, I would have liked to have given them all first place for their hard work, for their performances and for their grit to get out there and put themselves in front of a crowd and be judged.

These students are achievers and dreamers, and they are to be commended.

The Mehlville School District is also to be commended for its support of these students as they branch out into the arts, along with the dance and musical instructors who live in our community and are a vital supporting arm of the community’s schools and talent.

And I would be remiss if I did not mention another star in the district’s crown, the new Nottelmann Auditorium. It is a lovely, well-equipped venue in which to show off our local talent.

If you weren’t there, you missed it. But stay tuned, you’ll have another opportunity.

Because let me say it again — “Oakville’s Got Talent.”