On April 1, 2022, Mr. PHS was held in-person in the PAC for the first time since 2018. Due to COVID-19, the pageant was held virtually last year over Zoom. Mr. PHS is a long-time tradition where clubs, sport teams, musical groups, and other students nominate seniors to participate in a pageant show. The competition has many parts, including a catwalk where seniors are introduced and showcase their outfits, a talent show in which competitors perform a prepared act, a formal fashion show including the competitors and their escorts, and lastly, a question and answer segment before the winner is declared. Unlike previous years, this year’s show was open to all genders to promote inclusivity.

The event came together with the collaboration of Student Council members, advisors, and faculty members. As the main organizers of Mr. PHS, the Student Council planned the event over the course of one month. Senior class president Angelina Chen ’22 initially proposed to bring the tradition back because she remembered how fun it was to watch her older brother compete.

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“It seemed like a really fun tradition, and every year I’ve been in Student Council, we’ve always talked about bringing it back,” said Chen. “But every year, it just falls apart. And I think at this point no one remembers what it is, so I felt like if I didn’t try to get it done, it wouldn't ever happen.”

Diana Lygas, the Dean of Students at PHS, was also excited to host the competition again and was proud of the dedication and teamwork that led up to the event.

“Different classes took care of different things. For example, one class [was] in charge of the concessions, one class will be in charge of the ticket sales, one class will be in charge of putting up the posters, and one class will be in charge of the behind the scenes this year,” said Lygas. “I would say it was a group effort, really. And the students just participated in every way throughout the event.”

In addition to the Student Council, many assisted with the behind the scenes of the event. PAC Technical Director Jeffrey Van Velsor and the PHS tech crew played a crucial role in controlling lights and music, Student Council advisors Antoinette Tessaro and Samantha Itkoff helped with selling tickets and managing concessions, and Industrial Arts Teacher Joseph Gargione printed the large check for the prize donation.

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As with any event, the team faced no shortage of obstacles along the way. The two main challenges were getting contestants to sign up as well as attracting audience members. Two weeks before the event, there was still little interest and Mr. PHS was almost called off altogether. However, with persistent advertisement over social media, the approval of a $100 grand prize, and decreased ticket prices of $5, a total of ten clubs were represented and over seventy students were in attendance.

The event got off to a good start. Cat’s Meow opened by singing the alma mater and emcees, Ryan Xu ’22 and Emily Choi ’22, guided the rest of the show throughout the night. The PHS a cappella groups helped fill up the time in between each section, with performances from the Cat’s Meow, Cloud 9, and Around 8. Some of the represented school organizations included Asian American Club, football, Peer Group, Tech Crew, and more. The diversity in clubs was also reflected in the performances which included everything from K-pop dance to drawing Principal Frank Chmiel blindfolded in 30 seconds. Lada Labas ’25, an audience member who went to support their friend performing, found the entire show to be very entertaining.

“I really liked the show a lot. It was pretty funny, and I liked the talent portion,” Labas said.

Lygas echoed this sentiment and felt that the event was a perfect combination of all elements.

“I thought it had a really good blend of silly talent and also real talent. So I felt like it was exactly the way the event should have been,” Lygas said.

Ultimately, judges Chmiel, Lygas, and Ms. Jennifer Li crowned Aaron Munford ’22 the winner of the competition. Munford performed a variety of acts: juggling, solving a Rubik's cube while unicycling, dancing, and flipping. Leading up to the night, Munford spent time practicing his tricks in the gym.

“I practiced flipping at the gym … I pulled my quad on the day of the show, and also almost gave myself a concussion trying to do [a] back handspring, but it was still fun and exciting,” Munford said.

Munford represented both PHS Fitness Club and PHS Insect Eating Club, and his prize money will be used to help fund new materials for each organization. He believes that his success stems mainly from his bravery when trying new things.

“Just have a lot of confidence and you can do anything, trust me,” Munford said.

Overall, both advisors and Student Council members believed that Mr. PHS was a big success for its first year back. They hope that even more students will participate in competitions like Mr. PHS so that school events become a regular part of PHS culture.

“I'm super thankful to all the contestants for participating and putting their talents into this endeavor. It really wouldn't have been possible without them and they made it fun, so thank you so much,” Chen said.

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