Last week, StuCo held the ninth annual Mr. Mill Valley contest. After being cancelled last year due to lack of interest, the lighthearted male beauty pageant came back with a new format and six contestants performing under the theme Men of the Decades.
At the end of the night, senior Aiden Lehr claimed the title of Mr. Mill Valley, junior Elliot Fisher won Mr. Upperclassman and freshman Sam Thomason won both Mr. Underclassman and People’s Choice awards. For Thomason, receiving his awards was the highlight of his night.
“The best part of the night was definitely getting the big applause from the crowd, and getting my two awards,” Thomason said.
School librarian Ashley Agre helped judge the competition, giving each contestant points based on their performance in the runway, talent and interview rounds.
“We were looking for how the questions were answered [and their] personality on stage,” Agre said. “One of the categories was Icon. They had to dress like an icon [and we looked at whether they] represented that icon well in how both they looked and the narrative that was presented on stage.”
The event brought the contestants, including junior Nate Petrowsky, together throughout their preparations. Preparing for the event included meeting in seminar to choreograph the opening number and their individual talents.
“[The best part] was getting to hangout with these dudes, because it’s a genuinely really cool group of people,” Petrowsky said. “There’s a camaraderie between people you wouldn’t expect to get along with, but everybody grows and it just works.”
Although the contestants compete for awards and the Mr. Mill Valley title, junior Mallory Lux, who helped plan the event, likes how lighthearted and fun the pageant is.
“There was a lot of laughter in the crowd, which was awesome,” Lux said. “We kept reminding people to have fun with it [because] it’s not serious, so don’t be nervous.”
Events like Mr. Mill Valley bring students together and make memories, according to Agre.
“Getting to see the kids having fun is the best part,” Agre said. “It’s one of those things where everyone is relaxed, they’re laughing and being funny. Getting to see students outside of the classroom atmosphere is always a really good time, and I laughed a lot that night.”
