By FRANCESCA MAYR  ’16
Photography PEDRO LEAL ’13

The Mr. Beaver pageant, a longstanding Arcadia tradition, was given a touch of whimsical magic this year as male contestants assumed fairy tale princess or magical creature alter egos. Their escorts took on the roles of prince, sidekick or nemesis in the same fashion, making for an utterly fanciful evening.

Alysia Adams ’14 and Allison Gaines ’14, the co-chairs of SPB’s Special Events Committee, began the event by introducing the talented emcees: a capella group Overboard. The singers graced the stage with youthful exuberance and melodic tunes. Their laughter and amusement proved infectious and reinvigorated the audience’s enjoyment throughout the event.

Another highly entertaining aspect of the evening was the judges’ entrances. When President Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III appeared as Little Red Riding Hood, students responded with overwhelming applause. Heather Weaver, Assistant Director of Student Engagement; Dian Taylor-Alleyne, Associate Dean of Students; and Caitlin Mizanin, Area Coordinator, followed with equal verve. “This year’s program was amazing. SPB did a great job organizing and implementing the event. You could tell several of the acts really got into character and put a lot of thought into entertaining the audience,” raved Taylor-Alleyne.

Finally, the contestants took the stage in their glittering ensembles to be judged in five categories: entrance, swimsuit, talent, evening wear and final question. Maximiliano Meneses ’15 imitated Jasmine of Aladdin fame in clothing suited for the Middle East. Isaac Israel ’14 took on Alice from Alice in Wonderland’s sweet persona. Greg Ellis ’15 became Rapunzel, twirling long locks. Geno Rossetti ’16 chose to be the Fairy Godmother for a night of “bippity boppity boo.” And Scott Hall ’16 became Little Red in the Hood, a crowd-pleasing, wolf-hunting toughie in a red cape.

All of the contestants had a splendid time vying for laughs. “Mr. Beaver was just incredible,” said Meneses. “The crowd cheering me and the other contestants on was just breath taking!”

Ultimately, Hall (Little Red in the Hood) stole the show and the audience’s hearts with a duet to Taylor Swift’s “Mean.” His feisty unwillingness to let the Big Bad Wolf win made for a fun narrative and likable character.

“The Commuter students (Little Red’s sponsors) definitely earned the win. Their twist on Little Red Riding Hood showed their creativity and ingenuity. They had the audience howling throughout the show,” said Taylor-Alleyne.