Last Friday evening saw the manifestation of the 2nd Mr. and Ms. Thunderbird pageant at the Pavilion, aimed towards fundraising for the Fall 2013 class gift. There were 12 contestants that competed to represent the school as the next Mr. and Ms. Thunderbird. The audience and 6 judges voted and judged the contestants on different criteria based on their contributions and talents showcased, and a winner for crowned each for Mr. Thunderbird and Ms. Thunderbird. Congratulations Amar Haware and Tiffany Law!
The night saw the contestants strutting their stuff in a pageant-style catwalk and introduction, a question and answer round and a talent portion. The judges did their part, nevertheless, matching the contestants’ responses and performances with witty comments. There was also a group performance by all the contestants. Mr. and Ms. Thunderbird has come a long way since its inception, and kudos to the organizers to continue this tradition. The Fall 2013 event raised around $1,700 for the class gift – truly magnificent!
There are a few suggestions that could be incorporated to make this event a bigger success. From the perspective of the organizers, it made sense to award the contestant that raised the maximum funds, but from the perspective of the audience, the ones that showcased real talent could have been recognized as well. The combination of judging criteria used to decide the winner based on different factors and the voting system was all-inclusive, but maybe the event organizers for the next Mr. and Ms. Thunderbird could incorporate a little something for those that displayed commendable talent and efforts as well.
Hats off to Yemile Ojeda and Tom Yu for putting together this amazing night. We hope the graduating class is able to gift something incredible to the school!