Eleanor Roosevelt’s annual “Mr. Roosevelt” pageant returned to the stage after a one year absence on February 21. Sophomore, Immanuel Oliver took home the crown Mr. Roosevelt, and earned the title “A Gentleman of Distinction.”
There were 14 contestants in this gentleman’s pageant. They ranged from freshman to seniors. The young men were Elijah Harrison, Jeriah Johnson, Immanuel Oliver, Danh Ta, Diallo Boubacar, John Blanco, Walter Little, Jawuan Brown, Taji Harris, Miles Harriston, Lamar Johnson, Chiamaka Ogwuegbu, Charif Shell, and Jesse Williams. There were three elimination rounds, judged by ERHS staff. Throughout the show contestants had to go through a talent, personality, and a question and answer round. Aside from the pageant, ERHS’ own Desi Dance, B-Boy, and Dem Raider Boyz all had wonderful performances during the show.
The sponsor for the whole event, Mrs. Yearwood had nothing but positive words for the pageant.
“It went really well, smooth, the practices really paid off. The contestants really bonded, they had a nice fellowship going. They didn’t even want it to end, they were like ‘Can we have another meeting?’ It felt great that many staff members came up to me after the show and told me how smooth and tasteful the program was.”
There was speculation going around the student body that the show was “rigged” and that many contestants that did not place should have. Mrs. Yearwood put that rumor to rest.
“The judges scored on many different categories, so maybe what I think happened was that when someone scored very high in a category and not so well in another, due to the higher score it carried them more so than when someone scored alright in an area and better in another area. It didn’t have as much weight to propel them further up. I think our winner was very talented and he showed qualities of being a gentlemen, so we still congratulate him whether people felt that way or not. He was still a great candidate– or winner.”
Another very important factor in this program was ERHS senior Nia Nickerson, she helped plan and make Mr. Roosevelt possible.
“It was good for the most part. I think the turnout could have been better, but it was great compared. Honestly, compared to last year it was much better because it didn’t even happen. The guys were fun. They worked hard to entertain and put on a good show.”
The lucky man to win it all that night was sophomore Immanuel Oliver. He had a very busy night, not only was he competing to become Mr.Roosevelt, he also participated in DRB and B-Boys performances.
“Winning Mr.Roosevelt was one of the most humbling experiences of my life,” said Oliver. “It shows me what really gets results out in the real world, you know? I didn’t go up there and try to be something that I was not, I was completely authentic with the audience. I represented who I was to the best of my abilities and at the end of the day my goal was to share myself as fully as I could with the class. It’s really challenging being involved in so many organizations. But at the end of the day that’s what I do. I’m a performer, an entertainer and that’s my number one goal, to entertain and to perform, to engage the audience as best as I can.”
This year’s Mr. Roosevelt was a resounding success, leaving people excited for the program to continue next year. Photographs by ERHS senior Wesley Collins-Arms, from Mr. Roosevelt, can be viewed at https://mrroosevelt2014.shutterfly.com/#n_3