Ben Thompson Wins Mr. Central 2012 Crown

On Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 6:45pm in the West Morris Central High School auditorium, a group of high school senior boys took the stage and put on a performance for their fellow classmates. Mr. Central is a yearly event in which senior boys compete in a pageant themed show to win the title of Mr. Central. This year’s winner was Ben Thompson, a well known student at WMC for his cheerful and positive personality. Among the other competitors were Ryan Riccordella, Brendan Milik, Ben Paulussen, and Danny Brookes.

In the competition, there is a group dance, a swimwear contest where the boys creatively show their beach style, a talent portion, a formal wear portion, and the final question, when the winner is decided. Some talents involved singing, skits, and game shows. All of the boys got creative with their talents and kept the audience laughing the whole night. Ben Thompson, the winner, sang and danced to a Madonna song, “Like a Prayer”. When asked how he picked his talent, Ben says “I knew I wanted to include dancing and singing since that’s what I really enjoy, and I wanted to use a song that made a statement”. He sure did make a statement combining a powerful song and his huge personality. Everyone in the crowd enjoyed his talent, which sent him into the Top 3, and eventually became crowned Mr. Central. Ben was shocked and he says “I still can’t believe I actually won the crown!” Ben deserved it though. Throughout high school, he has been kind to everyone and has never failed to brighten somebody’s day or make them laugh. He is the perfect Mr. Central to represent our grade!

Ben will be attending Penn State’s main campus next year studying Communications and Theater Performance. He has enjoyed all the opportunities he has had a WMC and says “If you make an effort to get involved as much as you can, you can ‘make your life extraordinary’! Congratulations and best wishes to the class of 2012!” Congratulations Ben!