Mr. Pennridge: Covid-19 Version

Marissa Vassallo, Student Writer

Mr. Pennridge is a male beauty pageant where all the proceeds are given to the Life Skills Program at Pennridge High School. Unfortunately, the event was unable to occur in 2020, but in 2019, the event made over three thousand dollars. Tickets were priced at five dollars and concessions were priced at one dollar. There are three portions of the pageants that the four contestants must participate in including: a performed act (mostly for comedic enjoyment), an introduction moment where the contestants were introduced with a small amount about themselves, and an interview section where the hosts and judges asked the participants some questions on the spot. The winners of the 2019 Mr. Pennridge were Brian Lafty (Senior) and Jimmy Mamrol (Junior), and the panel of judges included; Mr. Tatar, Mrs. Nash, Mr. Dubin, Mrs. Surface, and Mrs. Rissmiller. With the hopes to bring it back again this year, the Student Council started discussing ideas and met with Dr. Cashman last week to see if it was possible.

As of now Mr. Pennridge 2021 is a very new topic, as the student council just met with Dr. Cashman last week to discuss the idea. Dr. Cashman loved the idea stating, “This is going to be awesome, boost our school community, and allow the seniors to have at least one big event before you guys go off to college”. The Student Council has begun to discuss some changes that may need to be put into place to keep everyone safe. The event previously has been performed in the high school’s auditorium, but they are planning to do the event on Helman Field this year so that everyone can be outside and be more spaced out. This year there would only be senior contestants and seniors will be given priority when it comes to who can view the pageant, as the number of people who will be willing to watch the pageant in person will come down to what the Covid-19 restrictions look like at that time. Dr. Cashman made it clear that he wants this event to be as big as possible after missing out on homecoming, winter ball, and even prom he said, “Let’s make this as big as we can. Let’s shoot for the stars, and if we land on the moon, that’s fine”. There will be no limits to this year’s pageant as long as Covid-19 restrictions allow them. Although a date is not officially set, the pageant will likely occur in late May or early June. There are still a lot of details for the Student Council to figure out from now till then, but it is so exciting to hear that an event like this is likely to occur this Spring. It has been made clear that there is no possible way for Mr. Pennridge to be the same as it was in 2019, but that will not stop the Student Council from trying to make this event unforgettable.