Thirteen nominated senior boys demonstrated a wide array of talents this Friday, with acts ranging from reciting poetry to twerking to dancing to Beyonce as they vied for the prized title of “Mr.Whitman”.

Louie Gold claimed the title at the thirteenth annual Mr. Whitman pageant sponsored by Leadership and DECA. The proceeds from the event will be donated to the charity of Gold’s choosing.

As “It’s Raining Men” blasted through the auditorium, the boys strutted onto stage in their matching pink tye-dye shirts, each performing a unique dance move.

The competitors participated in three portions: formal wear, talent and Q&A. The thirteen was narrowed down to three finalists by the judges. Then, for the first time, the audience used texting to vote for their next “Mr. Whitman”.

“It means that you are just an all around great guy at Whitman and both the guys and the ladies love you,” top three finalist, Ben Scheer said.

Gold attributed his win to his “Single Ladies” dance in the talent section, in which he wore booty shorts and twerked across the stage, filling the auditorium with laughter.

“It’s a huge honor to be ‘Mr. Whitman,’” Gold said. “The title means to me that I had the qualities in talent and ability to respond to questions that the judges were looking for in the first two rounds and that I made strong bonds at this school to get voted ‘Mr. Whitman.’”

Gold’s charity of choice is Earthworks, a pro-environmental group that he chose due to his concerns about global warming, which stem from watching the movie “The Day After Tomorrow” in the fourth grade.

After the audience voted Gold “Mr. Whitman” the eliminated contestants rejoined him on stage to flaunt their moves one last time.

Although a winner was crowned, it was clear that the boys were just there to have fun and celebrate the end of their high school careers.

“These are already some of my closest friends and getting to share this one last culmination of our friendship on stage was just… I’m just really thankful,” top six contestant Alistair Faghani said.

This was many of the contestants’ last times performing on the Whitman stage, so they tried to relax and enjoy the experience.

“I think this is the culmination of four years of hard work and this is their way of showing what they think about it. It may be like their one last hoorah,” judge and chemistry teacher Peyton Ford said.

Video by Natalie Welber.