Photos by Neil Goldenthal, Staff Reporter
Article by Emma Purinton, Staff Reporter
The curtains opened to seven senior boys in their best formal wear but closed after only one was crowned Conestoga’s 2016 Mr. Pioneer.
Thursday night marked the annual Mr. Pioneer contest, in which boys from the senior class have a chance to compete in a pageant-like contest for the winning sash, crown and bragging rights. The contestants who competed this year were seniors Alex Moon, Yang Tu, Mack Morgan, Evan Haynos, Rahul Godaba, Rohan Gandhi and Cooper Arnott. The first half of the night focused on what the contestants had to say. They discussed their hobbies and accomplishments in the bio section and then answered questions in the interview section, all directed by the MC of the night, English teacher Michael Trainer.
Senior Maria Kissel said that she was excited to see the show but also wanted to attend to help the benefit of the event.
“This is my first (time going). I wanted to come because I haven’t seen one yet and I feel like I should support the senior class,” Kissel said.
The profits from the event go towards lowering the cost of senior prom tickets. In addition to concessions, senior t-shirts were available to buy to help raise more money. To help out with the cause, Varani Formal Wear donated tuxedos for the contestants to wear on the big night.
In the highly anticipated second half of the contest, contestants got to show any off their talents, which ranged from a comedy skit about selfies to a lip-syncing duet of B.o.B and Taylor Swift’s “Both of Us.” At the end of the night, after dancing to a variety of songs in his talent portion, Godaba was awarded the title of Mr. Pioneer.
“Winning the contest means a lot because when I first entered I didn’t think I had a chance compared to the other candidates,” Godaba said. “It’s really great because all the other candidates did a great job throughout the night. Each and every part of the night was amazing.”
As for advice for future Mr. Pioneer candidates, Godaba says that the experience is whatever the contestant makes of it.
“All I can say is that it’s a night where you just enjoy yourself and put on a show for your class,” Godaba said.
Emma Purinton can be reached at [email protected].
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Neil Goldenthal can be reached at [email protected].
