On April 28th, students and families gathered in the school auditorium to watch eleven of our senior Seahawks compete for the title of Mr. Peninsula! This year’s contestants were Emmett Casey, Aidan Haro, Evante Hemming, Grady Johnson, Aidan Klumker, Payton Knowles, Jonah Lucero, Brady Matheson, Gabe Radke-Reeves, Connor Thompson, and Connor Wilkins. Mr. Miranda and Alec Krishnadasan hosted the event with Mrs. Bruess, Mr. Kendall, Mrs. O’Leary, and Mr. Epstein on the panel of judges. Throughout the night, the audience got to vote for their favorite contestants. Their votes would later decide who earned the title of Mr. Peninsula. Before we reveal who won, let’s review the competition’s highlights!

The night started with formal wear, and each contestant came out in their best suit, escorted by friends, family, and partners. While there were several memorable entrances, the most original was when Emmett Casey walked out dressed as former US President, Donald Trump, escorted by his secret service, Jana Ramones. For the next portion of the competition, each contestant came out in swimwear-themed apparel and spun a wheel of different activities. In this round, Casey came out in a shark costume and attempted to do the limbo but ultimately flopped like a fish out of water. Connor Thompson, on the other hand, proved to be the master of the limbo, and Payton Knowles showed off his juggling skills. 

In the talent round, Jonah Lucero showed off his exceptional piano skills, Gabe Radke-Reeves performed the Death Buddy Dance Break from Peninsula’s Fall play, Evante Hemming played an original song on his electric guitar, and Emmett Casey played a piece by Beethoven on the piano. To make things more interesting, Casey told the audience that if he made a single mistake, Sammy the Seahawk would shave his head. Casey shocked the audience with his outstanding piano playing but eventually did make a “mistake,” and was chased off the stage by Sammy the Seahawk. Following him, Connor Thompson sang Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra, Brady Matheson and Connor Wilkins performed an original dance to the song Timber, and finally, Payton Knowles, Grady Johnson, Aidan Klumker, and Aidan Haro came onto the stage and had a small competition where each senior got a bowl of steaming mashed potatoes with an object hidden inside that they had to find without using their hands. While each of them gave their best effort, Johnson took the victory. 

For the final round, the contestants showed off their school spirit! In this round, Emmett Casey showed the most school spirit after being rolled on stage in a giant egg and breaking out to reveal himself dressed as a Seahawk, and his hair buzzed off. At the end of the night, once the judges gathered for discussion and the audience votes were tallied, our eleven seniors took the stage. The judges awarded Brady Matheson and Connor Wilkson with the title of Mr. Congeniality and Grady Johnson with the title of Next Big Thing. Then they announced the 2023 Mr. Peninsula, Emmet Casey! This victory was highly deserved, as Casey went above and beyond in each round, but overall, all of the contestants gave their best effort and gave their friends and family an entertaining show!