News

Mr. WHHS pageant Saturday is benefit for families facing medical challenge

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 2, 2023

The West Henderson High School DECA Chapter will host its inaugural Mr. WHHS “Party In The USA” pageant on Saturday, May 6, to benefit the families of two Henderson County public school system families dealing with serious medical challenges.

Mr. WHHS is an all-male pageant which raises money for families within the Henderson County Public School community that have suffered a great loss or are dealing with major medical issues. Each contestant is a student at West Henderson High School and has committed to raising at least $100 each in order to participate.

Families are nominated by Henderson County Public School System employees and voted on by the members of the West Henderson High School DECA chapter. Contestants will compete in two “wears” and will have a talent to perform. Awards given include Family’s Choice, Mr. Money Maker, Mr. Sexy Legs, People’s Choice, Mr. Congeniality and Mr. WHHS.

The pageant will be held in the auditorium of West Henderson High School at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased online by visiting the WHHS website and at the door at 6 p.m. the night of the show. Auditorium doors will open at 6:15 p.m., and the show starts promptly at 7 pm. All proceeds support the Aidan Burnette and Sydney Bailey families.

The Aidan Burnette/Levi Family

Aidan Burnette, an eighth-grader at Flat Rock Middle School, is the son of Lanta and Joseph Levi and the brother of Shane Townsend, Cash Levi, and Hunter Levi. Shane and Cash both attend Atkinson Elementary School.

On Feb. 14, Aidan was checking the mail after school and was hit by a car. He was life-flighted to Mission Hospital and upon arrival the family was told they had to remove part of Aidan’s skull. He has endured multiple surgeries and is still fighting for his life. The financial struggle has been extremely difficult, as the family is now down to one income to take time off to be with Aidan. The family would like to thank everyone for the love and support they continue to receive.

The Sydney Bailey family

Sydney Bailey is the wife of Jeff Thompson and mother to 9-year-old Hayes. Sydney has taught theater for 10 years at North Henderson High School. In 2016, Sydney was diagnosed with an anaplastic astrocytoma, a rare type of brain tumor. She received surgery soon after diagnosis. Surgeons were able to remove some of the tumor, but a large part of it could not be removed because of its location. Sydney completed radiation and a six-month course of chemotherapy after the surgery. This course of chemotherapy worked well, and Sydney enjoyed about four years during which the tumor did not grow.

At the end of 2022, a new tumor was found in a different location. She received a new kind of chemotherapy during this time, but during this course of chemotherapy, the first tumor became very aggressive and grew 5 cm in four weeks. Chemotherapy was discontinued, and Sydney was put on a heavy dose of steroids, also beginning to take a medicine that restricts the growth of new blood vessels.

Sydney misses her students and teaching position dearly. She sends her love and her gratitude for all of the support.

The judges consist of faculty and staff members at WHHS. This year’s judges are April Bryson, Jackie Corn, Matthew Parent, and Jessica Stepp. Twenty-five male students from West Henderson High School will compete in the show.

The students involved this year are:

Luke Atkins escorted by Paityn Reasoner
Baylor Barrett escorted by Haley McIntyre
Allen Bartley escorted by LaShea Morlu
Grayson Barton escorted by Tatum Garrett
Drew Chavez escorted by Lexy Mannon
Jake DeBiase escorted by Kaia Filipovic
Roscoe Greene escorted by Aubrey Garrett
Cooper Hughes escorted by Presley Gonzales
Lukas Kachilo escorted by Emery Sprouse
Jack Klein escorted by Ariel Nolan
Jackson Lynn escorted by Mellany Garcia
Jack McCraw escorted by Emily Delaney
Brady Merrill escorted by Katelyn Day
Braxton Miller escorted by Mya Hembree
Edgar Molina escorted by Tatum Brennan
Soren Onderdonk escorted by Lilli Fuentes
Blake Phillips escorted by Emma Bryson
Grant Putnam escorted by Riley Frazier
Neil Robinson escorted by Nyla Carroll
Tyson Sem escorted by Shyann Payne
Cameron Steeves escorted by Taylor Mickey
Rourke Sullivan escorted by Sofia Rodriguez
Jason Tobe escorted by Ella Pickard
Trey Whitaker escorted by Perci Moore
Carter Wingrove escorted by Lindsay Hall

One of the unique aspects of the show is that it is created and run by students and DECA members at West Henderson High School. Students decide on the theme, create the program, videos, choreography, posters and T-shirt design. It allows students to showcase their talents and gives them the opportunity to create something of their own.

With the help of numerous local businesses and personal donations, the goal this year is to raise at least $6,000. To donate a gift card or a gift basket to be included in the raffle or give a monetary donation, contact Alison Garrett at agarrett@hcspnc.org. All checks should be made payable to West Henderson High School.