Who has what it takes to come up on top for Valpo’s Next Top Man? Well on Saturday afternoon, 13 of Valparaiso High School’s students competed to be Valpo’s top man and win the Mr. VHS crown.
Mr. VHS, which is a “beauty pageant” for 13 or more of the high school’s senior boys, has been been put on at the school for over a decade. The VHS Student Council, the organization that orchestrates on the event, works to make Mr. VHS a highlight for each class’ senior year.
“It celebrates the graduating class for both the guys and girls to be in something that’s so much fun. It allows everyone, who might not be first person to volunteer for things on stage, to be a part of it and increase their school spirit.” Kelly Snoeyink, a teacher for the high school and a student council advisor, explained. “We love doing this every year. It’s always a bummer when we don’t have enough guys to put on the show, but this is definitely one of my favorite times of the year.”
The competition gathers various guys from different clubs and areas of interest at the school, with each wearing a personally decorated sash displaying which student organization they are representing. Justin Starns, who was one of the 13 competitors and represented DECA, said that the event really brings a handful of seniors closer together.
“This is a really awesome group of guys. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great way to end senior year,” Starns stated. “I’m honestly really glad that our school has the opportunity for us to be a part of something like this. It was great to be able to spend all of my time with these guys for a bit and see that they’re all really great guys.”
Though the guys were in the spotlight, there were also female escorts to help them along. They weren’t just there to walk along side the guys, they also partook in the show by either being a part of their talent portion, formal wear, and towel wear.
Maddie Blaney, who was Andrew Flasch’s escort, said that the inclusion of the escorts mixes the event up. “The girls just don’t walk on stage, they get to be a part of it as well,” Blaney stated. “The show itself is so hilarious and it’s just so much fun being able to do this with the guys. Having this as a part of our senior year is great.”
The event started off with an opening dance number, then there was a towel wear showcase, a talent portion, formal wear, and a question-and-answer session for the top five finalists. Over the course of the competition, the guys tried their best to impress the judges with not only their costumes, but with acts like a rendition of the final dance in Dirty Dancing, trumpet playing, a mime act, and an improv skit - among others.
Even though every single one of the guys who were a part of Mr. VHS gave it their best, there could only be one winner - and for 2015 that was Isahia Javier. After Javier own the crown he said he was shocked by the win, but was most of all glad to be a part of the entire experience.
“I’m so shocked to have won, but it’s just a good experience to be with these amazing guys. It’s just so awesome especially because we won’t be here or together next year, it’s a good time to be around the people that you’re graduating with,” Javier explained. “I wouldn’t even trade it for anything. It was that much fun.”
Whether or not they won the crown, it’s a sure fact that all of the guys and girls who were a part of Mr. VHS will remember this as a highlight of their last year of high school. Next year more guys will be able to be a part of the competition, and they will definitely have as much fun as 2015’s senior class did that afternoon.