While the Dartmouth High auditorium wasn’t at full capacity, the venue was certainly filled with talent as ten members of the senior class competed in this year’s “Dartmouth’s Finest” contest on April 9. 

“It was so much fun — they impressed me all the way,” English teacher and show coordinator Jessica Lassey said. 

Traditionally, the event was “Mr. Dartmouth” and only open to male students. 

But last year, the school opened it to any senior who wants to compete and renamed it. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 contest ended up getting canceled.

“It’s great that we were able to do this for the seniors,” fellow English teacher and supervisor Wesley Lima said. “We didn’t know what things would look like, but we got a real show.” 

The competition began with the seniors dancing to “Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo and “Blinding Lights” by the Weeknd. 

During the rest of the competition, the students modeled their casual and formal wear, answered questions, and showcased talents like music, dance, and science experiments.

One contestant even attempted stand up comedy for the first time.

For Emmanuel Chedid’s first ever set, he focused on observational humor surrounding his friends and family — namely his own mother.

“I don’t think she was too happy, but I think she enjoyed the jokes,” Chedid said with a smile.

He added that things were “nerve-wracking” as his set started. 

“With the spotlight, I didn’t really see anyone there,” Chedid said. “But it felt good to tell a joke and hear people laugh.” 

Fellow senior Mia Borges also hoped to get out of her comfort zone for this year’s contest. She said that she and friend Lavender Borque initially signed up for the show as a joke.

“We’re both really reserved people,” she laughed. 

The two performed a series of line dances while wearing cow onesies — something Borges said had “no real significance” other than that it’s what the two wanted to find at the store.

“One day, we just kind of drove around Dartmouth and asked if the store had a good cow pattern,” Borges said.

Taking this year’s crown was Jacob Gervais, something the senior said that he did not expect to win.

“It’s just such a great feeling,” he said. “I was just happy to be up there with everyone.” 

For his talent, Gervais performed “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé on his acoustic guitar. He said he chose the song since he and his family are big fans of the Canadian crooner. 

“My family always liked him and my grandfather loves him,” Gervais noted. “I just wanted to make them happy most of all.”