A beloved comedy tradition is different from years prior. Former Mr. Millard South is rebranding and changing its name to “The Ultimate Patriot.” The change of the competition is now allowing girls to compete.

“We talked about it, we encouraged women to audition last year to apply but there just wasn’t a field of people. But, we just knew it was time. It’s just such an antiquated idea. It’s all so fun but it just felt like it needed to be open to the girls too,” said National Honors Society (NHS) sponsor Mary Kay Desjardins.

While the idea of adding females to the competition was in the works starting last year, it also became an important part of piquing interest around the competition this year.

“I think we are running out of interest. So having both [boys and girls] will help get more numbers involved… Last year, we had a ton of boys apply. This year we didn’t have very many so being able to pull from more places is one of the biggest things,” NHS sponsor Candace Ahrens said.

The change was not only something important, it was something that was almost vital.

“To be completely honest, I don’t think we would have a show this year if we didn’t [make the change] because we didn’t have high interest from male contestants so it really comes down to the class and who wants to do it out of the class… If you want to keep the show going you have to adapt,” Ahrens said.

The switch in the competition was something that took a little getting used to, but has now reached maximum support.

“There was a little bit of push back within our group. Like, you don’t want to change a tradition, especially a long-standing tradition. But, traditions that only benefit one group of people need to be changed.

And we’re not setting those people aside, we’re just adding to the fun,” Desjardins said.

While it is always difficult to see a tradition change, it has been seen as for the better among students.

“There was a lot of push back just on the initial name change, but as far as including female applicants I don’t think there will be a ton of push back,” NHS officer Cassandra Wong said.

However, the competition is still the same competition that we all know and love. This year’s competition will still stick to a theme.

“This year’s theme is Rush for Millard South and so that means it will be including both fraternity and sorority groups, so I think the humor in the competition will be a little diverse,” Wong said.

Zoie Wessling was accepted as a contestant in The Ultimate Patriot. Wessling has expressed some of her nerves about the competition, as being one of the first girls to compete.

“I feel like it is going to be harder because people find [boys] funnier. They don’t have to try as hard to be seen as funny,” Wessling said.

The Ultimate Patriot will be on the stage on March 16.

“Come see the show,” Desjardins said.

“It is just a fun way to celebrate senior year and it’s just another fun rite of passage. I think it’s just a pure form of fun,” she said.

To read about the 2024 Ultimate Patriot show, click here