Spirit Week has always been an exciting time at Walpole High as students dress up to the daily themes and show their school spirit. These days are not the only feature of Spirit Week though; there is an annual event that is known to bring entertainment, talent, and a lot of laughter to Walpole High. On the night of October 3rd, students of all grades joined in the auditorium to watch the senior boys battle for this prestigious title: Mr. WHS.
TV Production students stood at different points in the room to capture all angles of the competition. After a few minutes of anticipation, Mr. Mullaney came onstage as the host. He informed the audience that Mr. WHS was live on Comcast, Verizon, and the high school website. After a speech about the honorable title the boys were about to compete for, Mullaney named the prizes for the winner: a $50 giftcard to Rico’s, a prime parking spot, the ability to cut in the lunch line, and free admission to all high school events–if they wear the sash.
The judges of the evening-Mrs. Milne, Mr. Kim, Ms. Gould, Mr. Morris, Mr. Hahn, and Rachel St. Germain-sat in the front row, ready to judge the participants on their entrance, talent, question and answer, crowd appeal,and rebel spirit. After the introductions, the boys each had their own entrance to their song of choice. Every contestant wore different gear; Jared Porack came in in cowboy attire to Party in the USA, while Alex Marcinkowski entered in a makeshift bathtub, complete with a shower head and “water.” Caleb Cofsky entered doing the Gangnam Style, and when asked the question “What Disney character would you like to be best friend’s with,” answered Ariel but that he hopes to get out of the friendzone.
After all of the contestants had their entrances, it was time for the most entertaining part of the night–the talent portion. Porack got a tremendous reaction from the crowd as he did the wobble in denim shorts and a tank top. Kemble Lindh followed and embraced his artsy side as he read Dr. Seuss poetry barefoot with Evan Parsons helping out by playing the bongo drums. Connor McCarthy, who was an expected crowd pleaser, did a well rehearsed Irish Step dance that portrayed his talent. Ryan Erwin came out next and did scooter tricks back and forth across the stage, which the audience found impressive. Then, Alex Marcinkowski and Chris Nash joined together with what could’ve been the most memorable act of the night. Marcinkowski wore a Kermit mask and sang Rainbow Connection, and was then joined by Nash, who was wearing a red dress and a wig. Students did not know what to make of the duo, but they got many laughs and a lot of applause; in the end, a few rows stood up to give them a standing ovation. Cofsky was the next act, and he sang and played guitar with a mash up that had the girls in the audience swooning. The last act of the night was Jackie Gately, who wore a full spandex suit with a long purple tutu and a glitter headband. Gately wowed the audience with a ribbon dance that captivated with not only his ribbons but his memorable facial expressions.
The performances ended and the boys then got to change into their Rebel Spirit gear to answer the final question: “Why do you think you can be Mr. WHS and how do you embody the spirit?” The boys passed the microphone down the line as each contestant got to answer. Some took the question seriously and others had more fun with it; McCarthy said that he always dresses up for spirit days, while Lindh made a comment about the amount of thigh he had shown during the night. Marcinkowski had the best costume of the bunch as he flaunted a cheerleading uniform. Nash talked about the efforts of wearing a dress, saying,”I could be Mrs. WHS too.” Gately ended the questions as he said he represented the male ribbon kids: “We are here and we have a voice!”
While the contestants waited for the judges to make their decision, Student Council members Emma Comiskey and Seana Cofsky came onstage to talk about the spirit days and the upcoming events, like the Pep Rally and the Breast Cancer Walk. After some suspenseful waiting, all of the boys came back onstage to hear the winner. Second runner up with 211 points was Marcinkowski, who used his humorous side to appeal to the audience and the judges. First runner up was Cofsky with 214 points, whose impressive talent and charisma could not go unnoticed. Finally, the winner of Mr. WHS was announced: with 230 points, Gately was presented with the sash and crown. After overwhelmingly loud applause and screams for a speech, Gately took the podium and addressed every single other contestant, remarking on their impressive talents. And with that, Mr. WHS was over.
Every year, Mr. WHS is a staple part of Spirit Week; where else can students see senior boys wear dresses, do ribbon dances, and show that much thigh? This year’s Mr. WHS proved to be very successful and equally as entertaining, with a lot of humor and a lot of talent. As Spirit Week comes to an end, Gately’s reign begins as the new, prestigious, Mr. WHS.
