Senior claws his way to the top in ‘Mr. Panther’ competition
Senior Bryce Newberry (Bryce Burgundy) vies for the title of Mr. Panther.
It’s not a surprise that an all-male high school pageant can entertain an audience, but it may be surprising that this event can be one of the best fundraisers for a good cause. Wenatchee High School ASB hosted its 12th annual Mr. Panther Pageant last night and crowned senior Bryce Newberry Mr. Panther, while simultaneously raising $5,000 to support the beneficiary.
This event benefitted the Parker family, a local family with a father who recently passed away due to asthma complications and a mother who has been battling cancer since 2007.
“The experience as a whole was great. We had a great team and all of the candidates seemed to mesh together. It was great to see all the teamwork backstage last night,” Newberry said.
Senior Maddy Atwood, ASB activity coordinator, was in charge of Mr. Panther this year, along with many other WHS students who stepped in to help. “Mr. Panther was a total blast. I am so happy I got the chance to be apart of it and support the Parker family. It is events like this that make me proud to be a Panther. I’m so proud of all ten candidates; they each did an amazing job,” Atwood said.
Each of the five junior and five senior candidates were judged based on four criteria: opening dance, talent, beachwear, and impromptu.
Senior Luis Sanchez was voted Mr. Congeniality by the top 10 candidates, and senior Matt Murray was selected as Mr. Talent by the judges, Apple Blossom Administrative Assistant Jennifer Devereaux, last year’s winner Max Schneider, English teacher Brian Higgins.
“I learned a lot during the process… Being on the stage isn’t always the easiest thing, especially with an audience, but we were trained to present ourselves well, and that will be a good skill for the future,” Newberry said.
Senior Trey Adams partners up with seniors Armando Juarez and Markus Stoll for a little dancing
According to Atwood, she didn’t have a set goal on how much money they wanted to raise. The organizers of the event tried something new this year, which was to let the audience vote. Organizers did that by donations, so the candidate with the most cash in their box by the end of intermission got the 10 percent audience vote. That helped raise almost $500, ASB Bookkeeper Tami Walters said.
“The whole thing was a blast, it was really cool being able to do that to help the Parker family. My favorite parts were the talents and the beachwear. Overall it was a great experience and I hope I get a chance to do it again,” junior candidate Joe Sells said.
