Crookston High School hosted the 25th annual Mr. CHS competition inside the Crookston High School auditorium on Sunday afternoon. This year’s competition saw five contestants battling for the title of Mr. CHS, with Isaac Thomforde winning the belt. The other contestants were Caden Boike, Dalen Korynta, Jackson Reese, and Brannon Tangquist.
This year’s theme was Kung Fu Panda, where all of the contestants joined together at the beginning of the show to perform an entertaining opening number. The show continued with the talent show portion of the competition. Caden Boike kicked it off the talent portion by singing the song ‘December’ by Neck Deep. Dalen Korynta performed a skit titled ‘Dumpling Master.’ Jackson Reese performed his Snake Charmer skit, and Isaac Thomforde concluded the talent competition with his interpretive dance skit from the cult classic Napoleon Dynamite movie.
The show’s final act was the formal wear and Q and A portion of the competition, where each contestant walked across the stage and answered a question from the host.
The winner of the 2024 CHS award was Isaac Thomforde. Isaac said that the whole process of preparing for the show and participating with his peers was a great experience. “It was a really good time,” said Thomforde. “We got to practice a lot, and there was a lot of fun stuff going on with practicing the opening number with everybody and being able to see and being able to see everybody’s talents today.”
Mr. CHS’s contestants are seniors. Like his fellow competitors, Thomforde said that winning the competition wasn’t the goal, but making the most out of the final months of his high school experience. “It’s just really cool to be a part of this,” said Thomforde, “It’s not so much as winning for me; it’s about being a part of Crookston High School and what that looks like. It’s also to show people that you can get out of your comfort zone and do stuff.”
Other award winners-
First runner-up- Dalen Korynta
People Choice Award- Jackson Reese
Talent winner- Isaac Thomforde
Formal wear and Q and A winner- Dalen Korynta
Each contestant was given a gift bag filled with gift cards and other trinkets for their efforts and participation. The Mr. CHS belt is created by Travis Oliver.
