Swim trunk clad contestants strut down the stage hoping to earn recognition for the top spot, the Grim Reaper stalks the halls looking for the next victim to reap and two students arrive at Panera set up for a blind date. In Madison’s 66-year history, many traditions have come and gone; through the years, The Hawk Talk has been there to chronicle it all. From beauty pageants to annual reapings, Madison has a rich history of the wacky and the weird.
Mr. Madison: Madison’s annual male beauty pageant started in 1989 and ended in 2018. In 2002, the SGA-hosted event opened with the competitors participating in a dance. To help the competitors prepare, the dance captain gave them a lesson beforehand. The competition continued with three separate acts. First, the formal wear, in which the tuxedo wearing gentlemen were paraded on stage, guided by the most important woman in their lives. This event was followed by a beach-scene section, in which the contestants sported swim trunks, sun-glasses and sandals. The final act was a talent show. Many of the pageant contestants chose to play music with acts varying from lip-syncing the Blues Brothers to a live performance of an electric violin. However, it wasn’t all songs and dance, as one student opted to perform a juggling routine. After a quick intermission, judges made their decision on the top ten contestants who would progress to the final round. There was a question-and-answer section, and then the winner was announced.
Daddy Doom Day: On May 23, 2002, Daddy Doom, the Grim Reaper, stalked the halls looking for victims to claim. Every 30 minutes, at the strike of a gong, a new soul was reaped. This annual event was sponsored by Students Against Drunk Drivers (SADD) to raise awareness for the yearly victims of alcohol-related crashes in the Metropolitan Area. The Grim Reaper would enter a classroom, reaping a predetermined black-clad victim. This victim would disappear from class and be unable to speak for the rest of the day. They would return with a pink name tag as a marker of their status, listing all the activities they would never get to do. This event was hosted before prom as a warning to students about the dangers of drinking and driving, along with the actual statistics of irreversible consequences. The following day, 14 tombstones were placed in front of the school. The stones were created by the victims listing their birthdate, ”deathdate” and name.
MAD Matchmaker: As part of this tradition, the Hawk Talk would match up two students for a date based on a questionnaire. The survey asked about ideal qualities and location, along with personal details like hobbies, goals and pet peeves. Then, a pair is made based on who seemed compatible. In May 2012, a particular couple enjoyed a lunch at Panera before deciding to stay friends. Both seemed to enjoy the experience, but, in the end, their date was more of a funny party story than the start of something deeper.
Ethics Day: Every year, until 2018, seniors were transported by bus to the Vienna Community Center to spend the day in discussion groups about an ethical question. Beforehand, the students were sorted into color groups and assigned to a specific room. On Jan. 15, 2004, the green group discussed the ethics of heart transplants. The dilemma was dramatized by juniors from the theater department posing as the patients with identities ranging from a parent supporting a growing family to a mentally ill scientist with the cure to cancer. The students needed to decide who was most worthy of a life. But not all rooms were faced with questions as daunting: the orange room was asked about cheating in school and the appropriate repercussions for doing so. They were further challenged with the question of how the situation would change if the student caught cheating was going to be honored during graduation – should she still get the recognition? Yet, another room watched a documentary about David Cash–a bystander to the murder and rape of a child–and asked: is it a legal obligation or just a moral obligation to prevent murder? Overall, Ethics Day challenged students’ moral codes, while giving them the opportunity to meet people they might not normally see in class.
