by Julie Gowel ·
Friday, May 8, 2026
Photos – Ever-popular lip sync competition raises funds for Model UN
The Bromfield School Model United Nations held its 13th annual Lip Sync in the Cronin Auditorium on Friday, May 1. The event raised nearly $2,000 for the organization, which uses the proceeds to help cover the cost of various conferences students attend during the school year.
This year’s show delivered a noticeably elevated level of performance, according to both organizers and judges. The winning act, a lip sync of “Wannabe,” a song by the 1990s popular British girl group The Spice Girls, featured five sophomores who danced and “sang” in full costume, each member as unique as the icons they were portraying.
“This is a different way of seeing the kids, letting them be themselves,” said one of the five Lip Sync judges and Bromfield School guidance counselor Drew Skrocki. “It’s really fun seeing their humor, their creativity, originality—it’s awesome.”
“We didn’t have everybody together until this week,” said sophomore Jackie Beauchemin, who was “Baby Spice” and the group’s unofficial spokesperson. “We were practicing during study blocks and after school, just trying to pull it together.”
Beauchemin said the group developed their routine by printing out the song and choosing dance moves that fit with the lyrics, incorporating a mix of original choreography and dances borrowed from the spring musical, “Mama Mia,” in which they all performed. When their name was announced as the winner, the group was stunned.
“I thought we were at most going to get Fan Favorite,” Beauchemin said. “Then they said ‘Wannabe, Spice Girls,’ and I was like, ‘How did we pull this off?’”
Other acts ranged from comedic to highly technical. The Fan Favorite award went to a group of seniors performing Pitbull’s “Fireball.” Students sported bald caps, sunglasses, and suit jackets and danced in a conga-style formation to the high-energy song. Their efforts earned them the award, as well as some of the night’s biggest laughs. Darragh O’Connor, part of the “Fireball” group as well as two other acts, said the choreography came together quickly. “It took maybe one to two hours,” she said. “We’re all friends, so we just bounced ideas off each other.”
Coordination of the event extended beyond the stage. Junior Evan Gill served as director for the show and spent weeks organizing the event, including juggling logistics, timing, and marketing. “We have to drive around and ask businesses if they would be willing to sponsor us and give us the rewards that will go to the winning acts,” said Gill. “Additionally, every year we have to make up a bunch of posters, advertisements, and
loudspeaker [announcements during the school day] for various days this week.”
“I think we had over 50 kids in the show, so coordinating with everybody’s schedules is the most challenging thing,” said Model UN faculty advisor and Bromfield geography teacher Bryce Mattie-Brown. “Everybody has such busy schedules. For our last act, [Carl Douglas’ “Kung Fu Fighting”] two kids came right from the baseball bus. They barely had time to get their costumes on and get on stage.”
On stage, O’Connor also delivered one of the night’s standout moments, landing a backflip off senior Adelle Besse’s back during their lip sync of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” “I was a little nervous,” she said, “but then I just got on stage and had to own it. I’ve watched so many people do lip sync acts, finally being the person in it felt full circle.”
Another act with impressive acrobatics was the second place winner of the night, a group of freshmen and eighth-graders performing to Katie Perry’s “Last Friday Night.” Donning sparkly party dresses, the group wowed the audience with a slow-rolling flip stunt that involved one student being held by her hands and feet like a starfish while the others swung her up and around in a full 360 degrees in what looked like slow motion.
Judges evaluated performances using a rubric that included creativity, originality, facial expression, and overall execution. “We look for people who really practiced, who know the words, who are in sync,” said Skrocki. He noted that this year, the bar was especially high. “There was a lot more choreography, a lot more energy. It’s not easy picking winners when everyone does well.”
The Drama Society’s “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’” from “Teen Beach Movie” took third place of the night. With 10 participants familiar with the stage, their “bikers vs. surfers” theme and elaborate choreography drew exuberant applause and cheers from the audience. Other highlights included a “Hamilton” mashup from the Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, by the varsity girls lacrosse team, which incorporated their sticks as props, and the Model UN officers rendition of Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like.”
“It’s a fundraiser, but it’s also a community event,” said Mattie-Brown. “Seeing different groups, sports teams, theater, student council, all come together backstage before the show, that’s my favorite part.”
This year’s addition of a full audience dance party at the end of the night brought performers and spectators together in a way organizers and participants said was new and meaningful. “It wasn’t just the performers who were into it,” Gill said. “It was the audience, too.”
“It felt like a community,” said O’Connor. “I feel like Bromfield doesn’t tend to have that as much as we could, and I felt like it brought everyone together.
It was so fun to dance with everyone.”