Mr. and Ms. SHS is not a pageant and has nothing to do with beauty despite what the title may make you think. It is a talent competition that takes place at the end of the year for juniors, so you will be Mr. or Ms. SHS during your senior year. It provides scholarship money for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, offering up to $750 for the top spot. Participants showcase any unique talent they have. They are judged by a diverse group of teachers, PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) members, and city employees. 

This year Ms. SHS is Florence Onijuke. She is an IB senior who is extremely involved in our community. She is president of the mayor’s youth council and a part of countless other organizations. Her talent was leadership. She showcased her talent through clips of her leadership with the mayor’s council and as an aviation ambassador for the school. 

She believes the application, interview, and showcase are an extremely useful tool for self-examination. “Whether you win or don’t win, everyone who goes through this process learns a little bit about themselves because you have to take time to evaluate yourself. Which is good prep for college application because that’s exactly what you have to do for college applications” Onijuke remarks. 

If you win, you are not only granted scholarship money, but also you become a member of the PTSA board and on the student teacher advisory council. She believes having student voice on our campus is so important, but also representing all of the students on our campus. Onijuke says “It’s great for student’s voice because now I have a voice in things that matter to me and matter to the student body rather than it just being parents and teachers. You have to be able to mingle and put yourself out there to talk to people outside your classes. All the people in my classes are IB students, so I’m very enclosed. I don’t know what’s happening in an honors class or a standard class unless I go talk to them in order tp combat only representing one type of student.”

With her win of Ms. SHS she can impact her community with her defacto role in the PTSA . She played a role in maintaining a homecoming. Onijuke says ““Last month, the big question is are we going to have a homecoming because we are still in covid times. It’s not necessarily safe to have a homecoming. But we pushed to have one. To have it outside and make it safe.”

Mr. SHS is Aravind Shankar. He is an IB senior, whose talent was creative writing. He showcased this talent through a speech regarding stereotypes.

He ran for Mr. SHS because ““Last year was a really tough year. I didn’t want to leave highschool without leaving my mark on the school. I wanted to remember my time by doing things for the school and representing it.” 

He believes these events are so great for students because ““Kids need to get out and experience stuff like this, developing their communication skills and confidence to do things like this. Kids are reluctant to do stuff like this, but if they see other kids doing it. It can encourage them to put themselves out there.Talking to my peers gave me the confidence to put myself out there. I knew I could do it. I knew I had the abilities, so why not try.” 

He and Onijuke spent the year working on the float for homecoming float “to get people out of their house and provide a sense of unity for the whole community,” Shankar says. He is very interested in getting the student body more connected after the last few years have kept us all trapped inside. 

Mr. and Ms. SHS is a great competition to encourage students to work hard and get involved based on the example of strong peers. It also allows students to be rewarded and acknowledged for their talents, which is vital to our school environment.