By Mackenzie Cookson- Staff Writer
November 20, 2024
ROCKLAND- Gavin Mattos was crowned Mr. Rockland 2024 on November 14.
Mr. Rockland is an annual event held in the auditorium where male Rockland High juniors and seniors compete in a pageant.
"I was ecstatic. I never really won anything personal so it felt really good to feel like I accomplished something," Mattos said.
Mattos will now get his own front-row parking spot at school.
The event was hosted by the Student Government Council Finance and Fundraising Committee.
There were six contestants, five seniors: Mattos, Josh Campoverde, Anthony DeFilippo, Nick Bruno, Liam Ryan, and junior John Vaz.
Mattos stunned the crowd with his sincere performance of “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. DeFilippo danced to “YMCA” by the Village People. Bruno did a lightsaber routine, Campoverde sang “Love Like You”, Liam sang “I’m Going Home” from the musical Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Vaz did a solo to “Fuel” on the drums.
"I honestly thought I was going to lose. I thought everyone did great. We worked for three days and worked really hard. The competition was tough, and I was surprised I won. Thanks to the staff and everyone who worked on the production," said Mattos.
Senior Rocco Correia hosted the event for the second year in a row. He got help from Math Department Chair Mr. Steve Casagrande to write the contestant introductions and jokes in between performances.
Correia said, “when they're unique… I think you're doing something and you're singing and your great but if you can sing and play bass that makes you stand out more.”
There was also a duet section of the event, in which the contestants lip-synched and danced to a song together in costume.
In this section of the event, Campoverde and Bruno performed a song from the Disney movie Frozen, Mattos and DeFilippo danced to “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing, and Vaz and Ryan performed the song “All My Life”.
The final part of the competition involved the contestants wearing their best formal wear, which was the Question and Answer section where each person answered two questions from the judges.
The judges for the event were French teacher, Mrs. Julie Dore, Dean Mr. Fred Damon, and English teacher Ms. Kristen Walsh.
"I'm so impressed when a young person has the talent and bravery to perform on stage. Having the confidence to put yourself out there in front of a crowd is rare and the judges all knew how much they practiced," Ms. Walsh said.
Student Government Council made $612 from this event.