Keil Mitchell takes Mr. WHS crown

 

By MIKE NEUMANN
The Independent

 

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Woodstock High School students danced, sang, donned sports and casual wear and fielded questions Friday all in an attempt to become this year’s Mr. WHS.
In the end, Keil Mitchell took home the title, with Tyler Voss being named first runner-up and Kevin Berger getting the nod as Mr. Congeniality.
Before the competition began, Tony Walker, an English and theater teacher at the school, joked that “this is not a scholarship program. It’s a beauty pageant.”
For the talent portion of the show, Mitchell performed an interpretative dance to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” which brought one of the night’s largest ovations.
Other talent presentations included dance routines, original songs, a comedy act and parodies and performances of popular songs. Punch Card Radio, winners of the Battle of Bands competition last month, entertained the audience during intermissions.
While the talent portion may have brought the most applause during the competition, the question and answer portion may have brought the most laughs.
When asked, “If you were a candy bar, what kind of candy bar would be and why?” Kendall Natrop said he would be a Twix bar.
“Because with a Twix, you always get a second chance,” Natrop said.
When asked which celebrity he’d most like to meet, Berger, who performed a dance routine to a Britney Spears song, said he would want to meet Spears.
“She knows how to pop it and drop it pretty much,” he said.
When asked what made him more unique than the other contestants, Troy Meiners said it was the fact that he doesn’t mind making a fool out of himself. He thought about his answer for a second before noting that any person in the competition probably doesn’t mind making a fool out of himself.
In response to what song describes him best, Nick Hamersky said the “Macarana,” “because I like to move all the time, and, basically, it’s the greatest song ever written.”
Mitchell responded to the question “What do you look for in a woman?” by saying “somebody who is kind, funny and enjoys Bob Dylan.”
Mitchell’s next answer, however, may have sealed his victory. Dressed in an all-white suit, Mitchell was asked what kind of fruit he would be and why.
“A red apple,” Mitchell responded, “because they’re sweet.” The response drew a collection of “awws” from the girls in the crowd.
Ten students competed for this year’s Mr. WHS crown, including Jon Peschke, Hamersky, Mitchell, Voss, Ryan Zieman, Zachory Norys, Berger, Meiners, Andy Senger and Natrop.
Money raised will be donated to Invisible Children, a nonprofit organization which raises funds to help improve war-affected schools in Northern Uganda.

 

This article was published in the March 19, 2008 edition of The Woodstock Independent.