By Logan Dratch ‘26
Sophomores Derek Bedell, Elijah Jackson, and Michael Asselta accomplished impressive things over the last month. Derek and Elijah, who are some of the most active members of the performing arts program, performed at a concert in Carnegie Hall on April 29th. Meanwhile, Michael was selected as a North Jersey Athlete of the Week for his successful golf season.
Derek and Elijah participated in the Camp Broadway Ensemble by performing with The New York Pops at their 41st Birthday Gala at Carnegie Hall. They performed alongside 55 other teenagers from 16 states and even some kids from Jakarta, Indonesia. The two SJR sophomores heard about the camp from a friend and were invited to try out because the program needed more guys. So, they both sent in a video with their audition, and then earned their well-deserved spots in the Camp Broadway Ensemble. Derek, Elijah, and the other teenagers were joined by over twenty celebrity singers and performers such as Fantasia, Barry Manilow, and Dionne Warwick.
Preparing for the concert required about 9 hours of rehearsing spread across the three days leading up to the event. Fortunately, Derek and Elijah are used to the amount of work that comes with performing art, as they both started singing at a young age. According to Elijah, “The three days of practicing and performing seemed like a lot of work, but as time passed, we became more comfortable and had a lot of fun.” Derek added “it was a really fun experience, and the highlight of the concert was when we sang “Ghostbusters” and “That’s What Friends are For.’” This concert is an annual event and teenagers who are part of the Camp Broadway Ensemble are invited to return every year. Derek and Elijah plan on doing it again, perhaps with fellow sophomore Joe Lizzi, who was also invited.
During the same week, Michael Asselta was chosen as the North Jersey Athlete of the Week after placing first at three golf tournaments: the FDU Tournament, the Garden State Cup, and the Westfield Blue Devil Invitational. Since this recognition, he also placed first individually at the Arcola High School invitational. According to the northjersey.com rankings, Michael is ranked as the second-best high school golfer in the state, while all the Green Knights are ranked sixth as a team. Like Derek and Elijah, Michael began his passion when he was a young child, and he has consistently practiced and developed throughout the past decade. He attributes his success to a variety of factors, mainly that he is motivated by his family. He explained that “Golf is a sport where a lot of people practice alone, but I am able to play with my brother Rory when I am not playing for St. Joe’s. Having someone to play with, and a little bit of friendly competition, has helped me greatly.” Michael’s goal is to continue playing golf and then center his career around the sport, whether that involves playing professionally or becoming an instructor to help others develop. He explained that “the most difficult thing about golf is being able to move on from a mistake, as it can get into your head and lead to more mistakes.” He is able to overcome this through the support of his teammates, who all support and push each other to their fullest potential.
Derek, Elijah, and Michael are already starting to master their respective crafts, all while juggling various clubs and keeping up with the workload of their Honors classes at SJR. Additionally, baseball players Ryan McCabe and Brady Shust were recently selected as some of New Jersey’s top sophomore infielders by NJ.com. Brady was also recently nominated as a candidate for the North Jersey athlete of the week for his homer un barrage on the baseball diamond. Shust and McCabe have been an instrumental part of the Green Knights success, as the team is currently ranked 2nd in North Jersey and preparing to play in the Bergen County semifinals.
Evidently, although the SJR Class of 2026 is only halfway done with high school, there are big things in store for its actors, athletes, and students.