What first started as Mr. MHS, has now branched out into the Manhattan High School Pageant. The Pageant was held on Nov. 17 in Rezac Auditorium. MHS’s Student Council, AFS, Business Professionals of America and Gender Sexuality Alliance put on the Pageant. 

“The student body officers for StuCo are doing the major planning,” StuCo President Grace Bannister senior said. “[Stuco] are also partnering with GSA, BPA and AFS, which will have a role in planning the Pageant.

For the first time at MHS, the Pageant welcomed all genders. Junior and senior contestants had to submit an application for an audition to be in the Pageant. Seniors Gabby Ziegler, Amarti Tesfaye and Kathryn Borthwicki announced the pageant. After the final act the panel of judges Linda Uthoff, Jayden Gittle, Maisie Dulitz and Emmet Spaw determined the winner.  

The first act was intros where each contestant came out in a costume where the MCs would tell facts about their hobbies and lives. 

The second act was pull-ups with senior Wyatt Karl getting the most pull ups. The third act was talents. Junior Andrew Hutchinson performed a dramatic reading of an ELA hand book. Junior Allina Doughtery played a song on her violin. Junior Noah Moots juggled bowling pins on a unicycle. Junior Sufian Khmous did magic tricks. Karl played a song on the drums with senior Jackson Evans on the guitar. Lastly, senior Parker Freeby sang “Never going to give you up” by Rick Astley.

For the fourth act, the contestants dressed up in all sorts of costumes. Hutchinson was a trucker, Dougherty wore a hanbok from her culture, Moots wore a renaissance man costume. Khmous wore some of his cultural clothing as well, a thwab and agal. Karl dressed up as a dinosaur man and  Freeby was dressed as a sleepy man.

Khmous won the talent show with magic and dancing.

“I showed off my fantastic legs,” Khmous said.“I got a crown for winning.”