Jason Derülo visits LBHS

As the lights dimmed in the Long Beach High School auditorium, the screams of more than 300 students reached almost deafening levels. The crowd was anxiously awaiting the arrival of pop superstar Jason Derülo for an exclusive concert on June 14.

Long Beach High School wasn’t one of Derülo’s scheduled tour stops. Rather, he performed for his barrier island fans after they won a contest sponsored by local radio station Z100 and Verizon Wireless.

The auditorium shook as the screams escalated when then 20-year-old Derülo took the stage. Fanatic female fans held up hand-made signs proclaiming their love for the singer and attempted to sneak as close to the stage as they could before being told to back down by teachers and Z100 personnel.

Squeals erupted with every provocative dance moves during Derülo’s 20-minute set that included his hit singles “Whatcha Say,” “In My Head,” “The Sky’s the Limit” and “Ridin’ Solo.” A blushing and excited Sophia Fogarazzo was hand-picked by Derülo to take center stage during “What If” and became the envy of all the young ladies.

Z100 asked students to pledge to not text while driving and encourage their loved ones to put the phone down when behind the wheel. Students signed the pledge on the station’s website, and the school with the highest percentage of participants compared to overall enrollment would be serenaded by Derülo.

Juniors Geoff Noss and Shawn Bochner spearheaded the effort to get their classmates on board. Using social media, flyers, signs and the local news, LBHS garnered 399 pledges, more than any other school in the tri-state area. “It was a tough race,” said Mo-Bounce, a Z100 announcer who was hosting the event. “It was always back and forth, but Long Beach came out ahead.”

Noss, who recently got his driver’s license, said he takes the pledge seriously and doesn’t text and drive. “I think it was a great opportunity for Z100 and Long Beach High School to combine to make sure no one texts and drives,” he said of the endeavor.

Bochner, who was sweating from dancing in the front row, said he was shocked that his school was the chosen one. “I knew that my school would come behind me and help me do this,” he said. Students weren’t the only ones having fun at the show.

Math teacher Arkadiy Simonovsky showed off his dance moves in between acting as a barrier between fans and Derülo. “It was fantastic!,” he said of the concert. “I never saw anything better than this!”

Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.