Central’s Mr. NCHS competition was discontinued by the school’s Student Advisory Council (SAC) after running annually for over two decades. 

Mr. NCHS was an annual three-hour talent show for senior boys. It was canceled for the first time in 2022 due to dropouts from participants. This year’s show was scheduled for Feb. 8, before being canceled on Feb. 1 again due to a shortage of participants.

“It was difficult to get at least eight to 10 contestants to participate last year after not running it due to COVID,” said Robert Lugiai, a sponsor for SAC. “If we can’t get enough contestants to do it, [then] unfortunately [the event] can’t go on.”

Mr. NCHS was previously a major event and the biggest fundraiser for SAC. 

“It was a very big show,” Lugiai said. “Almost the entire senior class would come out [and] almost every seat in the auditorium would be full.” 

In the past, the show would have 10-12 participants. This year, five seniors—initially eight—planned to compete after winter break.

Lugiai believes the lack of interest is due to students’ unfamiliarity with the show after COVID-19 as well as Central’s cultural changes. 

“It was just mainly [that] people hadn’t seen Mr. NCHS since [2020],” Park said. “And not many freshmen [attend the show]; it’s more [of] a senior thing. So if they haven’t seen it, they don’t really know what it is and that’s probably why there weren’t a lot of people [who] wanted to [participate].” 

Mark Park was one of the seniors who planned on competing. 

“We were definitely looking forward to it,” Park said. “[Mr. NCHS gave] the seniors something special to look forward to.” 

SAC president Taylor Sawatzky said the club is in the process of creating a replacement event that will be more inclusive.

“The main purpose of Mr. NCHS was to fundraise for SAC and also just [to] get school spirit,” Sawatzky said. “By replacing the event, more students can be involved and participate while still [getting] the same things accomplished.”

As a sponsor of SAC and former student at Central, Lugiai said the show was an important part of Central’s history. The show featured categories such as a talent competition, a swimsuit competition, a tuxedo competition and a mother-and-son dance. 

“It was really amazing back in the 90s and early 2000s,” Lugiai said. “You can’t take those memories away, and it was really important for the people that were really involved in it.”