One of the most popular events in the long lead up to graduation at Old Rochester Regional High School is undoubtedly the “Mr. ORR” pageant, which took place this year on Thursday, May 7.
The event featured nine contestants and was split into five different categories: the opening video and dance number, casual wear, talent, formal wear, and a two-part question-and-answer session.
The judges of the event were three of ORR’s most popular teachers – English teachers Michael Beson and Kathy Brunelle, and math teacher Micah Kidney. ‘Mr. ORR’ was emceed by The Wanderer’s own Michael Kassabian.
Seven of the eight participants this year were seniors, as is customary for the event. Benjamin Rounseville, Shaun Lavoie, Alex Aruri, Mitch Midwood, Mike Pellegrino, Ian MacLellan, and Patrick McGraw were the guys looking to establish their legacy and go down in ORR history. Sophomore Jonathan Kvilhaug is on track to be the rare four-year participant in Mr. ORR, a brave endeavor indeed.
Among the notable performances of Mr. ORR was MacLellan’s spirited reading of an Amazon.com comment section for a bag of gummy bears, which instantly set apart his style during the talent section.
There was also Lavoie’s performance of “Forever” by Drake and Eminem, which included help from his friend Trevor Capachione (as Eminem).
The audience particularly enjoyed Midwood’s “Condiment Pool” talent, and Aruri and Pellegrino’s joint re-enactment of a scene from “Titanic” elicited a lot of laughter.
Aruri and MacLellan distinguished themselves with clever answers during the Q&A section, which featured both a serious and humorous question for each contestant.
As the event came to a close and it became time to tally up the votes, there was no clear leader, and a feeling of suspense came over the crowd.
At this time, the jazz band combo of seniors Matthew Parisi, Hannah Cormier, Matthew Twaddle, and sophomore Max Wolski performed for the crowd. After enjoying the music, the crowd anxiously waited to hear the results.
Third place went to Midwood, who gave consistently good performances in each section. Second place went to Pellegrino, who was also quite entertaining and creative in his talent/answers. The winner was Alex Aruri, who went above and beyond in his quest to become the next Mr. ORR.
The crowd left satisfied as Mr. ORR proved once again that it is one of the premier entertainment events of the school year.
Although the seniors still have some time before they throw their caps into the air, the event provided a nice send-off for its competitors and a fitting end to Aruri’s high school career.
Additional helpers for the event included seniors Madeline Cafarella, Shannon Lynch, and Korryn Pinard (choreography), senior Peter Sands (lights), and sophomore Camryn Kidney (sound).
Drama director Paul Sardinha also helped organize the event, along with English teacher SaraBeth Morrell and Special Ed. teacher Heather Kidney. Main Street Formals of Acushnet provided the tuxedos for the event.
All said, the event was very successful and provided great entertainment for an audience full of teachers, students, parents, and members of the community.
By Patrick Briand
