It’s a Thursday evening in January, and the Mepham community is filing into the auditorium and getting ready for the annual Mr. Mepham male beauty pageant. Hosted by Jack McCarthy and David Santos, the event was held on January 9, at 7:00 pm. The Mr. Mepham competition has been a tradition in Mepham since 2010, so that would make this year the 11th annual Mr. Mepham competition.

Mr. Mepham is run in three rounds: first, each participant dons the maroon and grey in the spirit wear round; then their talents are showcased in the next round, whether that be singing, dancing, or comedy; and finally, the contestants return to the stage for the formal wear round. A brief question-and-answer session follows the three rounds so that each contestant makes a final impression on the judges, Mr. Gomez, Mr. Del, Mr. Safina, and Dr. Carne. Finally, one teacher and one student are crowned Mr. Mepham.

At the conclusion of the night, it was time to name the two Mr. Mephams. Senior Kenny Franquiz was the student winner, with senior Angel Toro and sophomore Dom Casella both as runners-up. The teacher who wound up winning the title of Mr. Mepham was social studies teacher Mr. Montemaggiore, who was accompanied by his children, Dominic and Olivia, in all of his acts.