On November 20th, the incredibly hilarious and notorious “Mr. Pascack Hills” event took place. The event consisted of some of Pascack Hills “freshest” staff and students. Throughout the night, the contestants were judged on their appearance and a talent in which they presented on stage in front of their fellow classmates and teachers. Two of the past Mr. Pascack Hills winners came to judge the night along with Mr. Alexander and a few seniors. There were two winners at the end of the night: one teacher and one student. This year the winners were Mr. Salgado, a new addition to the PHHS family, and Steven Hensley, a senior.
We had the opportunity to interview Mr. Sandt and Mr. Ganz, the hosts and producers of this interesting show. They told us that the reason Mr. Pascack Hills started was because they were trying to fundraise money for the golf and tennis teams. They had gotten the idea from Park Ridge High School because they had done something similar. “The school was missing something that involved the whole community; teachers, students and parents,” says Mr. Sandt. They both knew that could put their own twists and personalities into the show to make it enjoyable for everyone. When we asked how they thought the show went, they said it was the best one yet. Mr. Sandt says “Every year the show gets better.” “What we control is always good,” says Mr. Ganz. Mr. Sandt agrees by saying “We are at the mercy of the talent.” When we asked how and why they came up with the theme of “Who is the freshest” they told us that “Fresh is a state of mind” and they heard the term as they grew up.
This year’s Mr. Pascack Hills had some pretty exceptional contestants. It started off with Mr. Kirkby doing the interpretive dance from Old School. Mr. Curts, another new addition to the PHHS family, entered in a huge orange blowup suit. And, to top off his performance he bought over 300 cupcakes for everyone in the audience. Mack made a very entertaining video teaching kids how to not get their butts whooped by the security guard. Mr. Cherichello did a very accurate skit of his life as a guidance counselor, featuring Bonnie and Logan Harris as his assistants. Mr. O’Neill, the Chinese teacher, did an exact impersonation of an Irish man acting as a Chinese man: so…he acted out his own persona. Dr. Edelberg involved the audience by going up to random people in the audience and making them sing into a microphone.
The faculty winner of Mr. Pascack Hills, Mr. Salgado did an army themed dance to “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift with a select group of juniors. However, Mr. Salgado says that winning was not his first priority in entering the contest. He says “I knew I had a chance of winning, but that really was not the most important thing for me. I was happy to be a part of the evening and I really enjoyed spending time with everyone that took part in the event, especially the guys that helped me out with the dance. We really had quite a few laughs preparing for the event. As a teacher it is important to have a trusting relationship with your students.” When asking Mr. Salgado if he was nervous for his performance he said, “Although this is my first year at Hills, it is my 5th year as a teacher and I have some experience with speaking in public, but I have never danced like that in front of a large crowd. For that reason I was very nervous. I’m usually not one to be silly or goofy so I was quite out of my element.” The Mr. Pascack Hills winner also told us that he feels “the title of Mr. Pascack Hills carries quite a bit of weight with it.” He hopes that his winning will lead to even more involvement in the Pascack Hills community.
As for the senior contestants, they had some pretty interesting skits and entrances as well. Last minute contestant, Dennis Dash, lip-synced and included the audience while doing so. Anthony Marchetti got a laugh out of the crowd with his very intricate handshake featuring senior boys, Zach Bernstein and Harry Weinfeld, and senior girls, Mackenzie Evans, Briana Cieszko, and Sarah Kim. Sam Reiner and Daniel Chatfield decided it would be funny to put judge Mr. Alexander on the spot. Max Gurman sang to everyone the unknown secrets of Pascack Hills. Anthony Cortazzo definitely got a laugh out of the crowd with his hilarious dance moves. Nathan D’Amaro humored the audience by reenacting the fight scene from Bad and having a dance off. And, the winner of all of the students was Steven Hensley, a senior here at Pascack Hills. He rocked the stage with his unexpectedly amazing dance moves to four popular songs proving that he was worthy of the win.
Overall the show was a success. Laughter and smiles filled the room for the entire event and it’s true that Mr. Pascack Hills definitely brings the school together. If you were not able to make this years show, do not miss it next time. See you there in two years!
