Spartan Scroll

by RYAN HSU

Joe David won Mr. Schurr High, besting the other finalists at the annual event held by Renaissance March 10 in the auditorium.

“[Mr. Schurr High] was very special for me because I had never participated in anything like it before, and to win on my first try as someone who usually lacks self-confidence, it was truly amazing,” said David.

When starting his preparation, David claims he already knew what song he wanted to sing, as it was a favorite from middle school. His performance of “Let Her Go” by Passenger prompted the audience to pull out their lit phones and sway them to the beat.

David also tried to set himself apart from the other contestants.

“When it came to deciding what to wear for formal and beachwear, I had to start thinking outside the box so my looks wouldn’t be so similar to everyone else’s.  That’s how I came up with the idea to have two looks in one for formal wear and sunburn for beach wear,” he said.

Senior Mario Reyes won the Top Talent award for making comicical impersonations, while senior Luis Castañon won the People’s Champ award for his collection of $207 in the dash-for-cash. Junior Lance Babb sold 27 tickets to win the Top Seller award. All three winners were awarded $25.

The other finalists were senior Miguel Calderon, who sang;  junior Ben Manuel, who sang and played guitar; Reyes, who performed comical impersonations; junior Mitchell Saisho, who played a piano medley; and senior Jimmy Yee who performed a magic act.

The judges chose Mr. Schurr High from the six finalists based on their scores in formal wear, beach wear and talent, as well as their answers to a final question: “How do you want to impact other people?”

The majority of the contestants were seniors; nevertheless, there were a few underclassmen who participated.

“As a sophomore amongst the majority of seniors participating, I felt that even if you’re in a different grade or maybe less ‘popular,’ everyone can forge and sustain a strong bond with anyone,” said Matthew Hernandez, sophomore.

The event raised about $5,000 for Renaissance, which honors student achievement in a variety of ways throughout the year.

“We spent over $4,500 on the shirts, Starbucks cards, pens, candies and certificates we passed out earlier this month, and we will spend about $5,000 on the June rally. When you factor in equipment we rent, decorations and prizes we give away, we still need the Power 106 fundraiser to go well in May to pay for everything,” said Kenneth Seto, Renaissance adviser.

As his reward for being named Mr. Schurr, David received a prom ticket, a free tux rental for prom from the Men’s Wearhouse, two Sadie Hawkins Dance tickets and $100.