Mr. Kodiak fundraiser raises $7,300 for Cascade seniors

LEAVENWORTH — Approximately 300 students, staff, and community members gathered at Cascade High School (CHS) on April 22 for the 16th year of Mr. Kodiak, a two-part talent show where seniors compete to fundraise the Senior Sendoff for the 2026 graduating class. 

This year, the theme was “World Cup.” Mr. Kodiak was organized differently this year, in part due to the structure of the committee, which was under the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) for the very first time in Mr. Kodiak history.  

Countless community members came together to create a program that raised more than $3,600 in ticket sales alone. With a donation goal of $6,000, the community was able to raise half of that goal before the performances even began. By the end of the night, they had exceeded their donation goal by approximately $1,300. 

“The idea is to have this be a student-led, student-produced fundraiser for the end of the year party. It also gives that moment of highlighting [the senior’s] special talents. It’s been a lot of fun as a parent to come alongside these young adults and help them come up with an idea they want to do and support them,” said Steve Pate, CHS parent and leader of the Mr. Kodiak committee. 

A large portion of the donations were raised through a silent auction, where attendees of the event were able to bid on patron-supplied gift certificates and various desserts baked by the loving hands of locals. The highest auction donation was $250. 

“Mr. Kodiak is the second major source of income for the senior class,” said Jamie Krejci, teacher at Cascade High School and member of the PTSA. 

The event was co-hosted by Titus John, an avid supporter of Mr. Kodiak since 2014. The introduction to the production showcased seniors representing a country’s soccer team, wearing flags as capes. Afterwards, the opening act broke into a dance based on the Shakira World Cup performance in 2010; it was choreographed by Ayla Pate and Breigh Ragsdale, who were part of the female team of soccer managers that accompanied each Mr. Kodiak contestant. 

In the first round, each contestant was judged on the humor and originality of their walkup. The seniors were met with applause from the crowd as they stepped out onto the stage alongside their soccer managers, performing a choreographed handshake and ending their introduction by answering a question asked by the five judges of the show. 

“Croikey mate, do you think that I can croc-a-dial your digits into my phone?” Micah Wilder, representing Australia, dropped his best pick up line on Avery Houghton. 

With a lineup consisting of ten senior boys, the competition was fierce, as three more contestants participated in the event than last year. The first talent of the night starred Canadian representative Miles Porter showing off his hot dog eating skills. He managed to eat four hotdogs in under two minutes.  

The crowd went wild for American representative Cody Salmon and his two-part turkey hunting class, where he performed various turkey calls used to attract big fowl. His fellow senior, Ayla Pate, posed as a wooed turkey in their skit about a bad situation Salmon found himself in while hunting. 

Eli Fortney was the third Mr. Kodiak contestant, representing Colombia alongside Jewel LeRoy. Performing his rendition of the Napoleon Dynamite dance, Fortney showed off his somersaulting skills and smooth moves to the crowd. 

Jonah Bowles and Addi Driscoll brought the spirit of Mexican boxing to Mr. Kodiak: he stepped into the ring and went glove to glove with fellow classmate Lalo Avila Banales, ultimately winning the match in an underdog come up. 

Wilder and Houghton presented a slideshow about the differences between Australia and America, with Wilder posing as an Australian exchange student and showcasing his talent of imitating an Aussie accent. Wilder was the wild card of Mr. Kodiak: he played the keyboard, showed off his hacky sack skills, and his ability to imitate the sound of water droplets. 

Representing Greece alongside his roadie Cordelia Freeland, Jorgen Palmer brought an electric guitar to the stage, playing a thunderous Metallica solo to show off his musical talent. 

Olaf Saugen and Adi Castaneda were the representatives of Germany at Mr. Kodiak. Saugen moonwalked onstage and danced through the decades of music, including a unicycling act and a Soulja Boy hip hop getup, performed with the team of female seniors as his backup dancers. 

Brazilian Cooper Comeau and Mylee Hobbs showed the audience how to grill up his idea of the perfect bratwurst with honey mustard and relish; when they were cooked to perfection, Comeau brought up his dad, his mentor, and the 2015 Mr. Kodiak winner onstage to taste test. 

A Jamaican cooking show was the second to last performance of the evening, put on by Max Spiegel and his assistant chef Breigh Ragsdale. The two taught the audience how to bake a Jamaican plum cake with spirit straight from the island. 

The last act of the night was Arlo Gibbs as England. The performance featured an intimate, ballroom-style dance—with his best friend Max Spiegel as his dancing partner, the two danced while balancing an inflatable ball against each other to Rihanna’s 2012 hit “Stay.” The pair were met with laughter and roaring applause. 

After the talent show ended, a final intermission showed teachers from the Cascade School District as a Bavarian dance team, using optical illusions to wow the audience while dancing. Emcee Titus John remarked that they were “the most modern Bavarian dance group taking a trip to Germany,” a comedic nod at Leavenworth’s iconic culture modeled after Bavaria. 

The event ended with Gibbs taking the crown of the 16th Mr. Kodiak. Salmon reflected on the experience of participating in this beloved annual event: “I wanted to have fun. It’s kind of our last big hurrah as seniors and do something together as boys, have the girls come too, and raise money for the senior class.” 

2026 Mr. Kodiak patrons included: Slide Waters, Sleeping Lady, Bavarian Bagel Co., Riverfront Rock Gym, and ten more locally owned businesses from the Wenatchee Valley. With the community’s help, the senior class raised approximately $7,300 for Senior Sendoff. Formerly called “Senior Sober,” it is a sleepover-style event held at CHS that was inspired by teen drinking prevention campaigns. It will occur at the end of the year with prizes to win thanks to Mr. Kodiak.