2025 Teen Star Recap

Journey Bank Crowns Teen Star Winner at "Movie Hits & Oscar Glitz" Competition!

Bloomsburg, PA – Journey Bank crowned Emily Shapeero as the 2025 winner at the 15th Annual Journey Bank Teen Star Musical Competition. Emily, a senior at Central Columbia High School, was one of 14 high school vocalists who took the stage at Commonwealth University – Bloomsburg on Sunday, June 1st to compete for the title. The finalists were selected across 20 school districts located within Journey Bank’s service area.

Emily and her fellow finalists performed cinematic showstoppers in the spirit of the "Movie Hits & Oscar Glitz" theme. Aside from performing for a panel of expert judges, the finalists also captivated the audience, which included hundreds of friends, family, and Teen Star fans. After the first round of performances, the judges chose three finalists to sing again to compete for the top spot. Enthusiastic fans, who brought signs and were full of cheers to support the finalists, had the chance to text their vote to save a fourth finalist during the show, adding even more fun and excitement to the event!

Emily performed "Don’t Rain on My Parade" by Barbra Streisand from the movie Funny Girl, for her first song. The judges and crowd were impressed by her genuine talent as she gracefully took to the stage. This exhilarating performance moved her to the top four, where she performed "The Wizard and I" by Cynthia Erivo, from the recent box office hit, Wicked. Garnering second place, and the audience save, was Sutton Blauser, a freshman from Meadowbrook Christian School. Sutton captured the hearts of the audience while performing two classic movie hits, "Evermore" by Dan Stevens from the live action release of Beauty and the Beast and "The Impossible Dream" by Peter O’Toole from Man of La Mancha. In third place was Chas Rosler, a freshman from Central Columbia High School. Chas showcased his effortless vocals and classic crooner style as he sang, “Theme from New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra from the American classic New York, New York, and once more in the second round with “Beauty School Dropout” by Frankie Avalon from Grease. Jaslin Shand, a sophomore from Williamsport Area High School, placed fourth overall. Jaslin’s heartfelt performance of “I’m Here” by Fantasia Barrino from the movie, The Color Purple told a profound story from beginning to end. She followed up with a performance of "Speechless” by Naomi Scott from Disney’s live action Aladdin.

All 14 finalists delivered spectacular performances, featuring classic movie hits from beloved films. The stage resonated with the captivating soundtracks of Titanic, Wicked, Grease, as well as numerous Disney classics. Journey Bank was pleased by the record number of auditions this year, showcasing a wealth of promising young talent.

The Bank is also delighted to announce a grand total of $4,939 raised through ticket sales at the 15th Annual Journey Bank Teen Star Musical Competition. Every ticket sale generated from the bank’s signature event has been donated back to the music departments of the high schools represented by the Teen Star finalists. Plus, each year, $5,000 in prize money is awarded to our finalists. The first-place prize is $2,000! The second, third, and fourth-place finishers win $1,000, $750, and $350, respectively. The remaining ten finalists each receive $100. Over the past 15 years, The Bank has awarded $75,000 in prize money to finalists and donated over $56,000 in ticket proceeds to the music departments at the finalists' high schools.

Learn more about this popular annual community event on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/journeybankteenstar

About Teen Star

Modeled after the American Idol^® TV show, Teen Star is a musical competition among local area high school students. Journey Bank sponsors this award-winning community event each year to give high school students a unique platform to showcase their talents, to support the music programs at area schools, and to promote the performing arts in the community.

Auditions were open to any freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior who attends a high school in Columbia, Montour, or Lycoming County or in the Warrior Run School District. The competition also invited contestants who are high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors who permanently reside in Columbia, Montour, or Lycoming County or in the Warrior Run School District, but attend another school outside of Columbia, Montour, or Lycoming County or the Warrior Run School District, or are home-schooled or enrolled in a cyber-school.