The seniors and some underclassmen of Old Rochester Regional High School gathered in the auditorium on Thursday, December 1 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm for the school’s second annual Senior Superlatives Gala. Tickets to the event cost $5, serving as a fundraiser for the Old Rochester Regional Athletic Booster Club. The event was designed in the style of the Academy Awards and therefore required students to attend in semi-formal attire. The Masters of Ceremony for the evening, principal Mr. Devoll and drama club director Mr. Sardinha, wore tuxedoes (which Mr. Sardinha accessorized with a tiara). During the event, Mr. Devoll and Mr. Sardinha used a PowerPoint presentation to show pictures of the nominees for the different superlatives. The seniors who won the superlatives (a boy and a girl won for each category) ascended the stage and took the microphone from Mr. Devoll to give a short acceptance speech – some of which were a simple “Thank you,” while others were tongue-in-cheek displays of wit.
Before the presentation of superlatives, the Old Rochester Regional Dance Team performed to Lady Gaga’s hit song, “Born This Way.” Like in the performance of that song in an episode of the Fox television series, “Glee,” the members of the dance team wore white shirts with phrases written on them in black that displayed their most disliked character trait. Each phrase represented one of the senior superlatives – for example, one girl wore a t-shirt that read “hungry,” which paid homage to the “Biggest Appetite” superlative.
Following the dance performance, Mr. Devoll and Mr. Sardinha entertained their audience with an opening monologue. Mr. Devoll complained that he hadn’t won a teacher superlative last year, and explained that he’d decided to try for “Best Dressed” this year – a plan that failed, Mr. Sardinha noted, because he wore too many bowties. Saying that he hadn’t won a teacher superlative this year either, Mr. Devoll then showed a picture of his newborn son, Sawyer Cabot Devoll, so that “he would get something” that evening. The audience made the obligatory “aw” sound for him.
The winners of the senior superlatives for the class of 2012 included the following: Best Hair – Nathan Houston and Meagan Smith; Most Musically Inclined – Seamus McMahon and Hope Anderson; Stayed the Same – Sam Carey and Molly Magee; Most Changed – Scott McDavid and Jae Roullier; Cutest Couple – Anthony Cammarano and Maggie Pelletier; Most Athletic – D.J. McDonald and Gabby Kondracki; Most Likely to Succeed – David Friedman and Megan Merlo; Best Eyes – Michael Durocher and Maggie Pelletier; Best Smile – John Simcoe and Rachael Reints; Drama King and Queen – Kurt Correia and Katie Holden; Best All-Around – Max Sherman and Shannon Frink; Biggest Appetite – Oliver Lizotte and Jacki Schroeder; Best Laugh – Joe Tripp and Ryann Monteiro; Most Artistic – Alex Beard and Sophie Pratt; Friendliest – David Romanowicz and Madison Costa; Class Flirts – Connor Maloney and Stephanie Glidden; Class Clowns – Ian Gray and Cassie Helmar; Best Personality – Forrest Cote and Kylie Bowen; Shy – Jason Davis and Lauren Sylvia; Teacher’s Pet – Colby Stabell and Anne Smith; Best Dressed – Adam Bliss and Leah Saunders; Cutest Best Friends – Max Risch and John Simcoe.
The winners of the teacher superlatives, as decided by the class of 2012, were: Most Talented – Mr. Everett and Ms. Brunelle; Most Inspirational – Mr. Howie and Ms. Brunelle; Most School Spirit – Mr. Carvalho and Ms. Browning; Best Dressed – Doctor Hamer and Ms. Graser; Paraprofessional of the Year – Mr. Sardinha and Ms. Blake.
• Results of the National Honor Society Thanksgiving Basket Drive – Ms. Dall, advisor to the Old Rochester Regional chapter of the National Honor Society, announced that while donations of food items had been low during the week prior to the conclusion of the drive, students rose to the occasion over that weekend and brought in more than enough food to make seven baskets – laundry basket size – for local families in need. The baskets also contained gift certificates to nearby grocery stores for the purchase of turkeys – in total the school donated $140 in gift certificates to the drive. In addition to Thanksgiving Day baskets, the students of Old Rochester Regional donated enough non-perishable food items to fill two large boxes for food shelters in the area. This year’s drive was yet another success.
By Anne Smith