Lynbrook High School juniors earn Class Night crown

When the 94th annual Class Night came to an end at Lynbrook High School last Friday, the juniors stood tall as the victors.

Class Night is one of LHS’s longest-held traditions and had been carried on in a modified, socially distanced fashion in 2020 and ‘21 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. This year, however, it was back in its full glory on March 17 and 18, with an audience of more than 1,000 community members, who eagerly filled the gym to watch the competition.

“After two years of not having the full Class Night experience, that changes tonight,” LHS Assistant Principal Matthew Sarosy said before the evening’s events unfolded. “I can’t tell you how great it is to have this place packed again.”

The event comprises many competitions. All four grade levels perform an original skit with four dance numbers, props and elaborate handmade backdrops, and a three-dimensional display and banner to go along with their skit. A board of judges scores the skits, dances and artwork, and the tallies are combined with points from the homecoming banner and Sports Night competitions to determine the winner.

This year’s theme, chosen by the senior class, was “Board Games: It’s All About the Journey”. Emma Leighley, Jaden Harvin, Manaka Ogura, and Amelia Pollicino were elected by their peers as student chairs, and they were advised by John Cornicello and Eric Finder. Pollicino said they chose the theme because they wanted to “do something different and new after Disney was a common theme in recent years.

The seniors performed a Monopoly-themed skit about the famous silver pieces learning an important lesson: the friends made along a journey are far more important than the prize at the end. Their set included several handmade Monopoly board squares named after streets in Lynbrook. In their dances, students posed as inmates from the jail, electricians from the electric company, bankers and tourists along the boardwalk. The seniors placed first for their banner, which depicted the monopoly man surrounded by the pieces in a nighttime cityscape design.

The juniors’ skit, advised by Ben Tieniber and Mary Kirby and with student chairs Jaiden Moreno, Dylan Baltes, Gabi Geller and Sofia Yaker, was about a family man who realizes he’s trapped in the Game of Life when he loses his job for no apparent reason. After a failed attempt at confronting the authorities of his board-game universe, he embraces being in the game because he loves his family and all that matters is that they remain together.

“The energy and hard work that is put into class Night by each grade is unmatched,” said Moreno, who wrote the skit. “I’m so grateful to the entire junior class for how much effort and love they put into this year’s performance”.

The juniors placed first for scenery and costumes, dance, backboards and skit.

The sophomores were advised by Timothy Waldvogel and Brian Jacobs and chaired by Charlie Reis, Dea Pullatani, Alayna Matern, and Keira Colon. Reis said they chose Clue because its interesting characters enabled the actors to “make it come to life.” Their skit portrayed teenage girls at a slumber party who play Clue as they argue about their real-life mystery of who stole a missing earring. By the end, they find the earring and realize that pointing fingers at each other is not what friendship is about. In keeping with the mysterious nature of Clue, they ended their skit on a cliffhanger, choosing not to reveal who the murderer was in their game.

The freshmen skit was a Jumanji-themed jungle adventure, advised by Robyn Freiman and Karen Smith with chairs Peyton Leighley, Jack Ceglie, Miles Sokolskiy and Ana Juarez.

“We chose Jumanji because we could show an exciting adventure based on a board game,” Ceglie said. “I’m really proud of the work our grade put in in the end. Rehearsals went really well, and the outcome was better than expected.”

In the skit, two friends get sucked into the board game while cleaning an attic. In the scary jungle, they had to join forces with two other stranded players to escape back to the real world, which they succeed in only due to their teamwork. Their dances featured tigers, safari guides, poison ivy and love-struck movie goers.

The tension in the gymnasium was palpable as the judges deliberated. After 40 excruciating minutes, Sarosy announced the results: The juniors, after winning four out of five categories, placed first overall, with the seniors, freshmen, and sophomores placing second, third and fourth, respectively. The juniors erupted into cheer, proud of their upset, which marked the first time a junior class has won in five years.