High School Students Raise $5.5K In 'Mr. CRN' Pageant Charity Show

Kate Fishman
·2 min read

NEWTOWN, PA — A male beauty pageant featuring a firefighter, an investment banker, a chef, and several other gainfully-employed characters is coming to Council Rock High School North on Wednesday evening.

The show is Mr. CRN, an event benefiting local charities and fundraisers, and it's been a fixture at the high school for more than ten years. After a hiatus due to COVID-19, Mr. CRN is back with the theme "On The Job" — and has already passed its $3,000 fundraising goal by more than $2,500.

"All of our events have been doing exceptionally well," high school senior Bella Slough, the public relations officer for the school's Student Executive Board, told Patch.

Slough and other board members planned this year's show, which features high school seniors who filled out a Google Form to be chosen to participate.

In Wednesday's show, Slough explained, the participants will perform an act or skit, deliver a pick-up line, respond to questions in a Q&A portion, and dance all together as a group.

The winner will get a free ticket to prom, a free rental tuxedo from Schweon's Clothing & Formal Wear, and flowers from Bucks County Roses. (The local businesses donated these prizes). The majority of the money raised will go to the charity selected by the pageant winner.

"How many people want to do it every year varies, but we were really happy with the turnout this year," Slough said.

Each of the 10 competitors have chosen a beneficiary:

  • Chase Coren — American Childhood Cancer Organization

  • Salvatore DeSena — Families In Arms

  • Jake Herspiegel — NAMI

  • James McCullough — Athletes Helping Athletes

  • TJ Blancato — Shop With A Cop

  • Dylan Safko — UNICEF USA, Children in Ukraine

  • Austin Stalker — Drew's Hope

  • CJ Berger — Fallen Firefighters Foundation

  • Bobby Miller — Cure Alzheimer's Fund

  • Brett Gardner — Shatterproof Foundation

The boy who the judges deem to have performed best wins the competition overall.

Two other winners, a fan favorite who gets the most Instagram likes and the competitor who raises the most money, will be recognized as well.

The event was created to counteract the all-girls powderpuff football match the school holds annually, Slough said. The pageant takes a few months to put together: this year, all the boys have a "handler" from the Student Executive Board as well.

"This event is meant to be much looser than the talent show," Slough wrote to Patch. "The boys are funny, and it will be a very entertaining show."

The show will be held in the Council Rock North auditorium at 62 Swamp Rd on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $7 at the door.

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This article originally appeared on the Newtown Patch