Ozarks Life: Reese Roberts’ talent show

BOIS D’ARC, Mo. (KY3) - At Bois D’Arc Elementary School, students learned firsthand this past week what can happen if you really strive for something great.

“This year, I was really looking forward to it,” Bois D’Arc Elementary School sixth-grader Reese Roberts said about the annual talent show.

But this spring...

“We would just not have one this year,” Dr. Karie Julian, the school’s principal said.

To avoid acts from being cut and to prevent rowdy hecklers, Dr. Julian scrapped this year’s talent show.

Reese was crushed. But quickly, the sixth-grader came up with a brilliant plan.

What if her favorite country music star showed up for the show in Bois D’Arc?

“(Dr. Julian) said that if I got Jason Aldean to our school,” Reese said, “we would definitely have the talent show. So, honestly, I was like, okay, I’m gonna do it!”

“I thought that would be that,” Dr. Julian joked. “I should never have underestimated Reese though.”

The only problem is the mega country star has no clue who 12-year-old Reese Roberts is.

“When she first told me about it,” Reese’s mom Kristen Roberts said, “I’m like, ‘okay, yeah, sure Reese, go ahead.’ And she’s on the computer. I’m like, ‘Reese, you gotta get ready for bed.’ ‘But mom, I gotta find his address.’ She was gonna mail him a letter.”

When that failed, she called his restaurant in Nashville. Again, no luck.

“Then later, I was like, Bobby Bones talked to Jason Aldean a couple of weeks ago,” Reese said. “So why don’t I just try to call him; people call in (to his show) all the time.”

Monday, the national radio host’s phone lines were busy all morning. Tuesday, she got through and was put on hold!

“She said, ‘Bobby can take your call,’ but I would have had to wait longer and into MAP testing,” Reese said.

“The fact that she was worried about missing the MAP test was huge,” Dr. Julian said. “She hung up the phone and they had to call back the next day not knowing if she would get through.”

But on Wednesday she did get through. Bones let Reese “shoot her shot.”

“Maybe I could get Jason Aldean to do a duet with me and sing 1994,” Reese said on air.

“I’ll just have him text me,” Bobby replied, “he probably won’t be able to do it. But what if, because I could probably text him and be like, will you send my buddy Reese a video introducing you at your performance?”

A few minutes later, Bobby Bones had another call come in.

“As I was taking my daughter to school this morning and was hearing you guys talk,” Jason Aldean replied during the radio show, “yeah, I’m definitely in for video! Hopefully she has better luck than I did in my first talent contest. They wouldn’t even let me be in it.”

“It sent me into tears,” Reese said. “I could like talk to him. And I was, I was overjoyed.”

“We’re talking to Jason Aldean,” Kristen said, “that’s not a normal Wednesday morning thing.”

Reese got Jason Aldean to be in the Bois D’Arc Talent Show - kind of. And so Dr. Julian had to keep her promise.

“She’s a great example of persistence and never giving up and following her dreams,” Dr. Julian said.

On Wednesday, 12 acts gathered their courage and performed in front of their classmates. From music to magic and then the magical, music finale of the day.

“Hey Bois D’Arc, this is Jason Aldean,” came from Aldean’s personal video showing on the big screen near the stage. “I want you to welcome my pal Reese to the stage, she’s singing one of my songs, ‘1994′ so Reese, take it away.”

The finale brought down the gym.

“Honestly, when I have put my mind to something,” Reese said, “I want to achieve it. I want to go to where I can’t go no more.”

“I am trying to teach myself not to underestimate her,” Kristen said.

As s for the future of The Bois D’Arc Elementary Talent Show?

“This will definitely be a tradition that continues,” Dr. Julian said. “I think that a lot of times for the kids, the courage it builds to get up in front of everyone, is huge. And it’s just a lot of fun and a great memory for the kids.”

And for Reese, this show is just the beginning.

“I will sit sometimes and just daydream of what I want to do in my life,” Reese said, “I would love to be a country music star.”

Reese is expected to rejoin Bobby Bones on air next week to recap how the talent show went.

Everyone is very thankful for the time Bobby Bones and Jason Aldean gave this 12-year-old in Bois D’Arc.

Here’s a link to Reese’s phone call to The Bobby Bones Show asking for help; and getting the surprise call in from Aldean.

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