Bright lights suddenly illuminate the auditorium filled with students, their yells and cheers resonate through the room as what they have been waiting for as the contestants come into view. Smiling and waving, the rivals are ready to compete for the envied title of “Mr. Collins.”

“Bachelorette—the most shocking rose ceremony you’ll ever see,” will be the theme of the pageant this year. Having been planning for months on end, Student Council President Kennedi Ledesma takes pride in the pageant and is proud of Student Council for all of the hard work they put into the pageant.

“It has been so much fun planning the pageant with the rest of the Student Council,” Ledesma said. “I really hope that the contestants and the student body are excited because the pageant is going to be something to remember.”

According to most of the contestants, competing in the pageant took a bit of encouraging from friends, but in the end, they are excited to participate in such a lively event.

“The idea was brought up by one of my friends,” junior Jenaro Jacobo said. “It seemed like it was pretty cool and I wanted to try it.”

Senior Tristan Wise seems to have the same feelings toward the pageant as the other contestants.

“Ever since I was a freshman I’ve heard of Mr. Collins,” he said. “I like to perform and be in front of people, just show them who I am. I am hoping to have a good time and make some friends along the way and hopefully win the title.”

The Planning

Papers plaguing desks, fingers assaulting keyboards and students brainstorming ideas—an accurate of description of Student Council sponsor Robert Dombrowski’s room during sixth period for the past 3 months. Student Council has been dedicating countless hours and working endlessly to ensure that the “Mr. Collins Pageant” would be amazing and unforgettable.

Senior student council member Zach Burgett feels that most of the student body looks forward to the event. Burgett says that the pageant is one of the events he enjoys planning with Student Council the most.

“We’ve been planning the actual pageant for a while,” Burgett said. “Right after homecoming planning ends, Student Council immediately starts planning Mr. Collins.”

The Pageant normally takes place in December, but was moved to February because of a softball tournament. The theme for the pageant this year is “Bachelorette—the most shocking rose ceremony you’ll ever see.”

“Every year we try to come up with something a little different,” Burgett said. “This year it’s the bachelorette. It kind of goes along with the pageant because it’s like a dating show almost.”

Ledesma has been looking forward to the pageant for quite a while, and promises the student body an amazing show.

“All of us have worked really hard on the pageant,” she said. “So much planning and so much effort have gone into the pageant, I just really hope the end result was worth all of the time, effort and dedication put into it.”

The Preparation

After every last detail of the pageant has been planned out, the contestants then have to prepare their performances. Part of the night will entail several group dances, some performed by the Student Council and others by the actual participants.

Junior Student Council Jacob Hughes believes that with enough practice the contestants and night should run smoothly.

“I really like the group practices,” Hughes said. “It’s been fun getting to know my competition as well as becoming their friends.”

Along with the group dance numbers that have to be prepared, the contestants must also perform a talent.

“I’ve been trying to decide whether to go good or funny with my talent,” senior Karch Bickham said. “I think it’ll be fun, I can’t wait for the actual pageant.”

While Bickham may have been still deciding on his talent, senior Carlos Figueroa has been preparing his talent for several weeks.

“I’m really excited for the crowd to see my talent,” Figueroa said. “I can only hope that all of the time I’ve spent preparing for the pageant pays off.”

The Pageant

Tonight is the night. The night where students become tigers. The night where tigers become competitors. The night where a competitor becomes “Mr. Collins.”

Contestants have been preparing for this night for quite a long time. While some are nervous, senior Ervin Bryant is going into the pageant with a high level of confidence. Having competed and won runner-up last year, Bryant believes that he has an extremely good chance of winning the pageant.

“I’m not as nervous as I was last year,” Bryant said. “I have a good feeling going into this pageant, hopefully I’ll do as well as I did last year, if not better.”

Senior Andrew Ramsey says he is excited for the pageant and believes that if he can get the crowd and judges to like him, he can win the title.

“I’m a good student, an athlete and balance my academics,” Ramsey said. “I have no shame, so I’ll get up there and show people.”

Wise believes that every contestant has a unique quality that makes them a fierce competitor. He said that whoever wins the pageant should embody everything the school stands for.

“We’re not afraid to let everyone know who we are, whether it’s about our academics or our social lives or even our sports,” Wise said. “I feel like whoever Mr. Collins is going to be they should be able to announce it loud and proud that they love being at this school.”