At ACP Erie, multiple different school events and programs are held over the year, and many of them end up being instated as annual school traditions for everyone to enjoy. From the school-wide field trips we have taken to the organization of the International Knights Festival, we, as a school, have created memorable moments every year that are passed down from class to class, eventually becoming an important part of ACP’s history.

One of these traditions we hold annually is Mr. ACP, which is an event where students compete for the winner’s crown, essentially acting as a parody beauty pageant. During the MORP Spirit Week, the Mr. ACP event and its contestants were officially announced through an incredibly creative and enjoyable video I know Mr. Lindstrom and his students worked very hard on. It was amusing to watch everyone cheer louder and louder as all the competitors showed up in the video with their chosen prop in their hands and witty introductions to introduce themselves.

Mr. ACP was held on Friday, March 1 and, while I was not able to attend myself, I know the event gathered very positive attention. In the end, the one crowned Mr. ACP was Christopher Boyd (senior), who adorned a cowboy hat and a sash with his newly attained title written on it. I decided to interview him to learn more about his performance at the show and his experience as a contestant:

Q: What motivated you to sign up for Mr. ACP?

A: My parents and friends always motivated me to participate in Mr. ACP, and I always told them I might do it. However, this year, I decided I was going to sign up because it would be a nice opportunity to hang out with friends and have a good time!

Q: What performances did you do during the show?

A: For the talent portion, I played the cello. Specifically, I played “The Swan” by Saint-Saens from “The Carnival.” It is a simple cello melody with a piano accompaniment.

Q: What did the other competitors do for their performances?

A: The other contestants did many other acts. For example, Cameron Provo, Maxime Brault, and Nolan Murphy both sang to famous tunes such as “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. Additionally, Basil Alhassen did a magic trick performance followed by a dance, while Matthew played a classical guitar piece, and Hongan Nguyen danced to a BTS song.

Q: What was your experience like during the event?

A: It was quite fun! It was really nice to play around and be myself for an audience. I can confidently speak on behalf on the contestants that a lot of work and rehearsals were put in. However, in the end, it was all worth it once we finally got to display our looks, talents, and personalities on stage.

Now, we also would like to acknowledge the ones who had a part in planning this spectacular night. Without them, Mr. ACP would not have happened. Specifically, I spoke with Ariel Law (senior), who had a major role in organizing this successful night:

Q: What was your part in coordinating Mr. ACP?

A: I was the committee head and music director. Committee head is basically in charge of the whole event and oversees every detail that takes part in the event. Additionally, the music director is in charge of music played throughout the event and the videos made.

Q: How long did it take to coordinate this event?

A: We started working on it late December until the day of the show.

Q: What specific measures did you take beforehand to plan Mr. ACP?

A: Committee wise, we had a meeting everyday in class and had rehearsals, which were all after school. Filming also took place during class and after school. Working on the master outline was on my own downtime. Personally, I spent at least 6-8 hours working on Mr. ACP that included the planning.  Some of the ideas we discussed at the time were the country-themed games such as the run or be dragged one. In the end, we decided that the categories of the program shown during Mr. ACP would be the special feature of last year’s Mr. ACP, the choice of best dressed (in the theme of the “sharpest shooter in the west”), the traditional lip sync battle, the famous talent show, the run or be dragged game, the Outlaw Interrogation Q&A session, the Hoedown Throw-down Surprise, the special MORP feature, and, of course, the crowning of Mr. ACP.

Q: What was your favorite moment while planning the event and your favorite moment during the event?

A: I really enjoyed the hoedown throw-down, as well as the lip sync battle because it cracked me up so much.

In the end, Mr. ACP was a successful night, and everyone was able to enjoy fun and humorous performances from some of our most loved students. Hopefully, ACP will continue this tradition for many years to come, setting it as a part of our school legacy. We definitely look forward to what the theme for Mr. ACP will be, what next year’s performances will look like, and who the new contestants will be. While it is rather early, we still wish luck to all the future competitors!