Enthusiastic, humorous, talented: all of these adjectives describe one of the most illustrious titles that can be held by a senior boy at Walpole High School, Mr. WHS. He is full of school spirit, able to keep an entire room in stitches, and represents WHS in the best way possible. On October 16, eight boys stepped onto the auditorium’s bright stage ready to compete. Knowing only one of them would win, the senior boys prepared to prove who was worthy of the title.
The evening started out with a stellar group of entrances. Peter Hoegler set the mood by skipping through the auditorium to “Hedwig’s Theme” rocking a witches costume straight out of “Harry Potter”. Following him was Jon Kelland, who came in dressed like the next James Bond, rolling through aisles. Andrew Hazerjian burst forward next with as much flair as the first two, punching his fists and staying light on his feet as he moved to “Rocky’s Theme”. Equally popular was Peter Kougias’ entrance to the 90’s classic “No Scrubs” and Mike Mckeon’s to “Wannabe”, inspiring cheers of joy from the girls in the crowd. Harrison Berkland’s entrance to “Wrecking Ball” brought about great excitement, especially when he showed up dressed like a lunch lady. The senior boys elicited some laughs as well, especially Brian Hazerjian, who entered to a piece titled “lux aeterna” and made Mr. Mullaney stop talking until the song reached its climax. Finishing off the entrances was Thomas Heffernan’s booty-shaking entrance to the song “Country Girl”. Bailey Tudor said, “The entrances were my favorite part of the show, they had the whole crowd laughing.”
Next came the talent portion, in which the boys did not disappoint. Sticking with the classics, both Kelland and Mckeon performed music, with Kelland strumming “Your Body is a Wonderland” on guitar; Mckeon, “Call Me Maybe” and “Barbie Girl” on ukuele. Lederman sang as well, belting out a harmony version of “I Will Always Love You”. Although he was unable to hit the highest notes, Lederman’s performance elicited laughter and loud applause. Andrew Hazerjian’s dance to “Take on Me” with backup dancers from Dance Company was well put together.
The other senior boys stepped up their game and came out with a variety of performances. Harrison Berkland showcased his cooking talents on his self-titled show “Cooking with Harry”. He then proceeded to feed the judges his fine made culinary delicacies of buttered bread and the ever classic cereal. Heffernan juggled to medley on different songs, changing his appearance and balls after each transition to a song. Similarily, Hoegler included a medley of music; however, few were prepared for when he burst out as a glow in the dark stick figure. The performance, which ended in with a harlem shake, was easliy one of the most popular of the whole night. Equally popular was Peter Kougias’ monologue set to Lady Gaga’s “Applause”. Kougias first listed all the careers he wanted as a child—80’s singer, Superman, and a merman—and then dancing along to the song in various costumes depicting his dream jobs.
Furthering the display of creative talent was Brian Hazerjian. His act began with a showcase of his creative piano skills and followed with a light saber duel between him and fellow contestants Andrew Hazerjian and Jon Kelland. The act brought spiels of laughter from the audience, especially when Brian’s twin, Andrew, shouted out: “Brian, I am your brother.”
Following the talent portion was Mr. Mullaney’s final question: Why should you be Mr. WHS? Popular answers included Peter Hoegler’s— “I just want a girlfriend”—and Thomas Heffernan’s that if he was willing to shake his booty in front of a crowd of screaming girls, then he would do anything for Mr. WHS. Additionally, Peter Kougias’ answer involving world peace called back to Miss America style answers and elicited cheers from the audience.
Finally, the contest reached the final part of the evening: the crowning of Mr. WHS. Robbie Lederman earned second runner up, and Andrew Hazerjian was first runner up. Peter Kougias-—to the delighted cheers of the audience—was crowned Mr. WHS. Kougias was surprised and thrilled by the win, as he thanked his friends, family, and the screaming audience.”I was very surprised, I’m not lying when I tell you that I did not think I was going to win. All of those guys did a great job and they all equally deserved to win,” said Kougias.
After being crowned, Kougias received a $50 gift card to Rico’s, the ability to cut the lunch line, the best parking spot in the school, and free admittance to any WHS event if he wears his sash. After his display of talent, humor, and school spirit, Kougias was worthy of being crowned.
