Submitted by Katja Berardino.
On Friday, March 5, 2021, Haddam Killingworth high school students from the HKTV program put on the 24th annual Mr. HK, where students competed with their performances, including singing and comedy acts. Members of the community were able to watch the show live from their own homes, and three faculty members were present as judges. The students competed to be crowned and claim the title of Mr. HK 2021.
This year’s contestants were: Freshman David Sargent; Sophomores Nate Kelly and Andrew Melnick; Junior Riley Mack; and Seniors Jaden Mack, Brien McNamara, Julian Spector, and Gabe Martone. The judges were Ms. Deibert, Mr. Pallatto, and Mr. Cropper-Alt, who are all teachers at the high school. The show was hosted by Fisher Harris and Sophie Ramino. Students took on the roles of director, technical director, camera operators, stage managers, choreographers and audio managers. The other students who organized and ran the show were Katja Berardino, Patrick Boots, Henry Sodergren, Morgan Schultz, Charlie Martino, Shane Coleman, Nick Pach, Logan DiCicco, Shelby Welsch, and Mia Rubino. The show was produced by Kasha Topa-Finberg and Jim Kane.
This year’s show came with some extra challenges. The show was postponed from its original date due to snow and dangerous road conditions. Also, the high school was operating with a hybrid model, making it difficult to plan and organize the show when only half of the students could be there at once. Contestants couldn’t perform in front of a live audience, like they usually do, so the show was broadcast for the community to watch from home. Despite the challenges, the students of HKTV were able to put on a successful show that was fun to participate in as well as watch!
Thank you to everyone who competed in and helped with the show! Congratulations to Julian Spector, who was crowned Mr. HK 2021 with his amazing performance of an original song that he sang and played on his guitar.
Photo provided by Steady Photography.
