Editor’s note: Senior David Ballines, one of the sources quoted in this article, is part of the 42Fifty staff. Beyond serving as a source for this article, Ballines did not interact with the writing or editing of this piece.
As part of OH’s Homecoming Week, the traditional Mr. Oswego talent show has been canceled for the second year in a row due to a lack of student participation.
OH Student Council event coordinator and social worker Jacob Cafaro said the event typically has been “an opportunity to have the community and students interact.”
Mr. Oswego sign-ups ended Friday, Sept. 8, and the event and rehearsals were planned to run Monday, Sept. 16. Due to the cancellation, there will be no OH Homecoming festivities taking place Monday.
Cafaro says that they needed “several more [students] by the end of Friday, the 6th, [or they would have] to cancel.”
Last year, only two students signed up, and this year only three joined, leading to the cancellation of Mr Oswego.
Senior David Ballines, who had been one of the three participants to compete in this year’s Mr. Oswego, feels “no one ever found it too spectacular since [there were] similar [performances each] time,” suggesting a reason for the limited number of participants a second year in a row.
Mr. Oswego serves as an opportunity for seniors of all genders to have fun during their last year of high school. Graduates who had participated in Mr. Oswego’s talent show reported having such a fun time they wish they could participate again. For 2003 OH graduate and Mr. Oswego contestant Stephen Carico, this positive experience was the case.
Carico said Mr. Oswego was “a really cool experience,” and he is glad to say he “could enjoy while [he] was [in] high school.”
This year’s juniors are encouraged to begin considering participation now and join in as seniors, as it is an interesting, playful experience for seniors to put themselves out there.
“Mr. Oswego really brings the community together by showcasing the different personalities of students,” says Carico. “When people can join together and root for [others,] and laugh and enjoy all [the] crazy, fun acts,” he sees the event as a special one.
According to Cafaro, here is no limit to the possibilities contestants could choose for their talent; this experience could really just be a fun activity to enjoy themselves.
Cafaro says they have had a variety of talents including “jugglers, someone playing the banjo, solving a rubix cube quickly,” so there truly is no specific talent students must showcase to participate.
Hello! My name is Kayla Goddard and I'm a Senior at Oswego high school, this is my second year on the 42Fifty staff, now a news and social media editor. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
[…] was excited for the Mr. Oswego competition, since this event has previously been cancelled because of the lack of contestants. But it did not get cancelled this […]