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After the intermission phase, the contestants walk out from the black drapes and pose. Starting the formal wear stage of the pageant, seniors Ian Shone, Austin Barrois, Kaya Chen, Steven Ma, and Hrithikesh Panda all dress their best.
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Having just won the title of “Mr Warrior,” Steven Ma ’25 is showered with congratulations from fellow contestants seniors Hrithikesh Panda, Ian Shone, Kaya Chen, and judge Bradley Walker. “I was honestly surprised,” Ma said.
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Inspired by Kaya Chen’s ’25 talent of playing the piano, the students in the audience float their hands above their heads, moving on the beat. Students who recognized the song lit up their camera flash lights and sung along as if it were a concert.
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Concentrating on the yo-yos, Diabolo Club Vice President Allen Liu ’25, performs a trick. The Diabolo Club performed during the intermission phase of the pageant.
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Concentrated on their task, seniors Austin Barrois, Steven Ma, Hrithikesh Panda, Ian Shone, and Kaya Chen compete against each other in the cupcake-eating contest. The contestants attempted to eat an unwrapped cupcake with their hands behind their backs, making the task more of a challenge. “The cupcake eating was my favorite activity, but the frosting was so thick and the cupcake was even thicker so it was still hard,” Ma said.
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Showcasing his talent, Steven Ma ’25 danced and lip-synched to “Gangnam Style” by PSY. Supported with his friends by his sides as his synchronized backup dancers, Ma remained collected.
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In deep focus, Kaya Chen ’25 plays the piano and sings ” Piano Man” by Billy Joel, allowing himself to become one with the music. Witnessing his skill, the audience sings along with Chen.
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As eager students and parents began filling the field house gym after school on Friday, Feb. 28, contestants gathered into their places behind the black curtain, ready to put on a show for the audience at the 25th annual Mr. Warrior pageant. After the audience got settled into their seats, the energetic contestants revealed themselves through the curtains, preparing to show off their talents and their vibrant personalities in an effort to win the title of “Mr. Warrior.” A much-awaited campus tradition, the bleachers were packed with community members excited to engage in school spirit and watch the seniors deliver a spellbinding show.
In order to craft a seamless production and high-quality event, Student Council (StuCo) made it a priority to prepare for this annual pageant since the very beginning of the school year. The biggest challenge for StuCo members was the finalization process of the five contestants that would be participating in the event.
“We had to find our sponsors, get all the materials and make sure all the contestants know the dances,” StuCo Senior Class Vice President Shrishti Mahajan said. “It took us a while to figure out who our five contestants would be because there were some people who dropped out and didn’t want to commit. But in the end we got a really good group of contestants, and they all had a lot of fun so we’re really happy about that.”
With his hands resting on the piano keys and equipped with a microphone, contestant Kaya Chen ‘25 played and sang Piano Man by Billy Joel, captivating the audience in awe who waved their camera flash lights in the air to match the beats. Inspired by his talent, the audience sang along with Chen, creating a sense of unity through music.
“I mean, [inspiring the audience to sing along] is kind of the goal with this kind of performance,” Kaya Chen ‘25 said. “Most people come out here from one community of the contestants to another, so I feel like making sure they all can enjoy the experience of the talent is really important, especially for performing a good show.”
Along with peers and family showing up to show their support, the escorts of the contestants — including close friends and teammates — helped encourage them and give them some extra confidence during the event.
“[Mr. Warrior] is more than just them walking down the gym,” Chen’s Escort Sophia Stone ‘25 said. “[As an escort], it means giving the support backstage or encouraging them to believe in themselves and to just have that little extra step that might help them. It’s fun being a spectator and escort, and it’s definitely a really fun and good experience. I’m here supporting Kaya Chen.”
During the intermission phase which was between the cupcake-eating contest and formal wear introduction, the Diabolo Club, formerly known as Chinese Yo-Yo Club, made an eye-catching appearance, hyping up the audience for the next phase.
“The routine song is actually from a performance that we did a year ago,” Diabolo Club Vice President Allen Liu ‘25 said. “We perfected our routine about every meeting, every rehearsal, every Thursday afternoon for the past few months until today. In terms of tricks, I definitely feel like the last part where we did two yo-yos at once, and a trick called ‘Feed the Sun’, where we throw [the yoyos] up into the air, were really hard.”
While the spirit of performance and entertainment filled the room, the audience was kept engaged and entertained throughout the entire evening. From light-hearted moments and jaw-dropping acts, the audience’s attention never deterred away from the contestants.
“I like how much fun [the contestants] are having,” Tyler Martinez ‘27 said. “It looks like they’re all enjoying their time doing their talents and answering interview questions, and I feel like it’s a very light-hearted, fun competition where they all support each other. I’m here to support Hrithikesh Panda, because we’re in ROTC together and we’re friends.”
As other spectators in the audience were cheering for the contestants during their choreographed dance sequence, StuCo members who proudly volunteered to ensure that the experience of the pageant falls nothing short of a spectacle, cheered just as loudly.
I came after school today to put together the strands that held up the black drapes and watched the voting booth to make sure nobody voted twice,” StuCo Member Jacob Kinnison ‘27 said. “I really enjoyed the group dance because it showed how despite being competitors, they could still be friendly with each other in this competition.”
Voting was held in between performances, and after much anticipation, seen through drum rolls from the audience watching from the bleachers, Steven Ma ‘25 victoriously walked away with the gold crown deeming him as 2025’s Mr Warrior.
“I was honestly surprised,” Steven Ma ‘25 said. “I didn’t realize I did that good but yeah, I think it was an amazing experience because I know my crew and I worked very hard for it. We danced and lip synched to Gangnam Style, and the hardest part of it was the pageant for me, because of the synchronization of the dance. But, I think that our dedication as swimmers translated to our dedication to getting the dance down. It was amazing coming out here and not feeling nervous at all knowing I was performing in front of a whole crowd of people I knew.”
