On Thursday, March 23 at 4:30 p.m., six senior students will be competing to find out who Mr. McHenry is. The event will have four different sections, including sportswear, talent, formal wear and a Q&A session.

Each year, up to six senior candidates are chosen to compete for this event, and it acts as a quick checkpoint before seniors’ leap to graduation. It helps a lot of seniors break away from their usual routines, and there’s a little something for everyone.

“Mr. McHenry is basically a pageant for boys,” says senior class vice president Cooper Ten Bruin. “It is a fun way for senior boys to be able to goof around with their friends before we graduate in May. My role is to run the Q&A session, which I am very excited for, and to help out with setting up and many other things.”

This year, the six selected candidates for Mr. McHenry are Rayaan Ahmed, KJ Keyfauver, Braydon Huffar, Ryan Johnson, Joseph Sacramento and Joey Crowley.

“I had to fill out an application to be a part of the contest, and Mrs. [Jamie] Rosinski picked me to be a part of Mr. McHenry,” says Johnson, one of the six contestants. “I am mostly excited for the opening dance with all the guys and their escorts, and I look forward to this event.”

Besides goofing off, seniors can also get a last chance to have fun before everyone graduates. It also serves as a kind of early goodbye to the other students.

“I chose to run, [and] I did this because I thought that it would be a fun opportunity to wow the school,” says Keyfauver, another one of the Mr. McHenry contestants. “I’m just excited for the whole event. I’m excited to perform, but I’m also excited to see my friends perform as well.”

Seniors have lots of fun and cherish moments like this event to look back on later in life. Whether they are in it to win it or simply just there to hang out with friends.