Mr. Ike, 2025
The Mr. Ike pageant is a yearly event hosted by student contestants and coordinators. All their hard work has been leading up to the pageant since the beginning of the school year to provide the glorious outcome of a night full of laughter and a bit of tears all rolled into one.
Mr. IKE is a program hosted at Eisenhower High School in collaboration with the Youthworks Foundation, a partnership between local high schools around the valley and the Memorial Foundation. The foundation allows schools like IKE to give back to children with disabilities and other underlying health conditions. It is an excellent opportunity for kids to get involved in philanthropy and demonstrate their involvement in this community.
The pageant has its Miracle Child; this year, it’s Maddie Livingston, a senior here at Eisenhower who has benefited and gone through many medical visits at Children’s Village and the Memorial Foundation. Each year, the coordinators choose five senior and junior class guys to be contestants. This year is a little different, having four seniors and six juniors. The Senior contestants are Leo Hernandez, Mason Volin, Davian Chavez, and Anthony Douthit-Mitchell. The Junior contestants are Victor Garcia, Jacen Reyes, Daniel Garcia, Zaid Munir, Jesse Jurado, and Brent Johnson. The coordinators work behind the scenes to ensure that the program runs smoothly. The Senior coordinators are Zoe Nibblet, Audrey Livingston, Daniah Aguilar, and Ashley Lombness. The Junior coordinators are Eleanor Suhm, Zabella Hickenbottom, Kayle Chandler, Zoie Sappenfield, Fabiola Morales, and Mukhlisa Jakbaralieva.
Throughout October-February, these high school students have been working hard to put together everything to raise the most money they can for the foundation. Fundraising at local restaurants, volunteering at events where kids with special health-care needs are, and getting tours of the facilities that help these kids.
On the big night, February 6th, the Mr.Ike contestants and their coordinators came together to give a fun performance for the audience. The night started with a funny dance by the contestants, led by skits of a “buddy” and a contestant reenacting what the child aspires to become in the future. We learned about the story of the miracle child, Maddie Livingston, and another fun dance from the contestants and coordinators. Towards the end, every contestant gave a “thank you” speech to a hero of their choosing. This certainly made the audience tear up a bit as much as the contestants themselves.
The contestants raised more than $15,000. Mason Volin received the congeniality award, and Daniel Garcia was crowned Mr. Ike with the help of coordinator Kayle Chandler. Both will receive a $500 scholarship to whatever college they choose to further their education.
Every year, these groups of students showcase the hard work, dedication, and sympathy they show for the lives of other kids in our community. This program is one of the best that IKE has to offer its students to join. We’re all excited to see what the next batch of change-makers will do for next year's pageant season.
