BY JENNA MCASSEY ‘19
On April 21, the Mr. Nichols event took place. It is an event run by the sophomore class where two students from each class compete against each other, and the other classes, for the title of Mr. Nichols. Last year’s winner was Jaylen Obsey ’19, taking the crown during his freshman year at Nichols. This is a competition that takes a lot of time, preparation, and planning by each contestant.
To start the show, all of the contestants model on stage with their escorts and perform one big group dance. They then separate to show off their individual talents. There are four judges, who not only choose the winner, but also provide feedback to each contestant. The judges were Professor Brian McCoy, Advisor Janet Newman, Professor Melanie Fleming, and Professor Erika Smith.
This year’s contestant for the class of 2020 was Tyler Kenney. Tyler was the only freshmen participant. Tyler put on a lip-sync performance to Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus; it was a crowd favorite! For the class of 2019, the two contestants were Austin Duvarney and Ariff McLaren. Austin sang a song he wrote, and Ariff sang a self-written visual rap. For the class of 2018, the two contestants were Joseph Slattery and Paul Sickenger. The two gentlemen collaborated and performed a duet, which included a dance as well as lip-syncing to their own mixtape. Lastly, for the class of 2017, the two contestants were Connor Leahy and Jake Gallagher. Jake sang to the song Proud to be an American, while carrying an American flag. Connor’s talent was a dance with partner Brooke Maher ’17—the crowd and the judges absolutely loved this performance.
Although this was a close competition, and a few of the contestants showcased their talents very well, the first place recognition went to Connor Leahy ‘17. “I think Connor deserved it; he not only had a great talent, but he really showed his Bison Pride here tonight,” said Marissa Piedmonte ‘19, who is the Vice President of SGA and coordinated the Mr. Nichols event.
If you would like the opportunity to be the next Mr. Nichols, there’s always next year! Can’t wait to see who will be crowned Mr. Nichols in 2018.