Senior planning hosted their annual schoolwide lip sync contest on Dec. 6 in the Auditorium. Putin’ on the Hitz (POTH) has been a cherished tradition for decades. This year’s edition took on a different format than past years and had a greater focus on the group competition element of the event. Those who went or performed enjoyed a memorable night of dancing, music and rivalries revived.
The most notable change from POTH this year was the elimination of solo or small group performances. These talented students will still have the opportunity to show off their skills in the spring at Thursday Night Live, but POTH is now for group competition.
To help create a common denominator between dances, Senior Planning decided on the 2000’s as a theme for the dance. The music used for dances were classic hits from the decade that had the crowd singing along. The theme could also be seen in the performers outfits. Baggy jeans, sideways hats, tank tops and sunglasses were some of the common accessories.
The awards for the evening were split into three different categories: one winner from the sports teams, one from the clubs and one from the classes (2025, 2026, 2027). Though the winners were rewarded with a gift card prize, bragging rights were what was really on the line.
In the sports team section, boys’ soccer defeated girls’ soccer, poms, field hockey and girls’ basketball. The boys’ soccer team mixed 2000’s music with goofy soccer music to wow the crowd and judges. “I think what separated us from other groups was the energy we brought to the stage,” junior soccer player Ricky Gomez said.
Afro Elites Club beat SGA, National Honors Society, Bollywood Club, K-Pop Dance Club and Get Groovy Club (previously known as Woottonettes) in the club/organization section of POTH. One highlight of their dance was a student moonwalking across the stage while doing an impression of Michael Jackson. “I thought POTH was absolutely amazing this year. Performing with my friends in Afro Elites was so much fun and such a great experience,” senior Destinee Sousani said.
For the second year in a row, the freshman class was victorious in the class section. The class of 2027 faced strong competition from the class of 2025 and class of 2026 but managed to earn the judges votes. The senior class of 2024 also performed but weren’t eligible to win because they put together the event and excused themselves from the competition.
As entertaining as the dances are, the event as a whole has struggled since the Covid-19 pandemic. Since POTH requires so much planning and organization, the senior class needs a strong attendance to make the event worthwhile. “Planning was very stressful since there were so many factors. We had to advertise, organize the groups and rehearsals and plan our own dance,” senior planning member Sofia Gabrielle said.
Although exact numbers have yet to be determined, the crowd was sizable and energetic. “I think it went really well compared to past years where Poth has dragged on for a bit too long. This year the timing was perfect and the groups were a perfect combination of funny and good,” Gabrielle said.
