Kathy Wells returns for her 12th year organizing the traditional Mr. TJ pageant.
Photo by Rebecca Holt
Since 1999, Kathy Wells has been donating her time to the Spartan community inside and out. Between assisting in the raising of almost $30,000 for the 2007 after prom, and coming back to put together the annual Mr. TJ show for the past 11 years, Kathy Wells has left her permanent mark at TJ.
Wells has three daughters, all graduates of Thomas Jefferson High School, and has been a promoter for TJ even before her children went to high school. “Back when my girls were attending Hamilton Middle School, I would bring parents of future high school kids and show them around TJ and all the good things the school has to offer,” said Wells.
Once her daughters got to TJ, Wells immediately began fundraising for their classes. “I fundraise on my own for organizations supporting kids in the arts, so I didn’t need much incentive to do it for my kids,” said Wells. “I fundraise for everything.”
Ashley, Wells’ oldest daughter, graduated from TJ in 2002, and continued on to the University of Colorado at Boulder and earned a degree in business. She currently manages HW Home in Cherry Creek. “I really got involved with TJ when Ashley was a sophomore,” said Wells. “I took over Mr. TJ in 2002 when Ashley was a senior.”
Hayley, the second daughter, graduated from TJ in 2004 and went on to the University of Northern Colorado. She received a degree in Musical Theatre and a minor in Literature. Hayley was also a judge for the 2004 Mr. TJ show. She is currently in New York City making a living doing comedy improv. “She aspires to be on Saturday Night Live one day,” said Wells.
Chelsea is the youngest of Wells’ daughters, and graduated from TJ in 2007. She is currently a Junior at Colorado State University and plans on being a veterinarian. “Chelsea has been interning at Alameda East with Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald the past two summers,” said Wells. Chelsea was also an emcee for the 2007 Mr. TJ show.
2007 was a particularly memorable year for TJ, not only because one of Wells’ daughters was a part of the Mr. TJ show again, but because of the amount of money raised for the after prom. “We raised $30,000 for the prom and after prom that year. It was the best,” said Wells, who put together many of the fundraisers that contributed to the large amount of money collected. “We started fundraising for all my girls their freshman year,” said Wells. “A few of the organizations and events that helped us out were the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, the Mile High City Marathon, Celebrate Colorado Artists, and the Tagawa Gardens Plant Sale. We also had a couple of casino nights at the school. I liked to make at least a couple thousand dollars at a time to make it worthwhile. I always had awesome parents to help me out too!”
This will be Wells’ 12th year returning to put together the annual Mr. TJ show, which is a comical production that gives the top senior guys a chance to compete to be pronounced Mr. TJ of that year. “The boys are judged in several different categories: a talent of their choice, a bathing suit competition, and on-the-spot responses to questions we ask them at the actual show, are a few of the most important,” said Senior and 2010 Mr. TJ Judge Alex Clark.
It’s the outcome of the production that keeps Wells coming back year after year. “I love the way everyone comes together as a class and puts the production on,” said Wells. “I love coming back to help the kids put this show on.”
It’s not an easy task putting together the yearly production. “Many sleepless nights go into the whole effort before the show is actually ready to present,” laughed Wells. “Usually in December I touch base with all of my contacts for the show. I talk to everyone from FedEx to the pizza companies that provide the kids lunch. Everything goes into motion starting January 1st.”
Although Wells is a major contributor to Mr. TJ, a good majority of the planning and fine-tuning is a result of all the student’s hard work, as well. “I try to stay in the background so the kids can be the ones who really put on the production,” said Wells.
Wells’ efforts don’t go unappreciated; the staff and administration at TJ is extremely grateful for the yearly return Wells gives in order to put on one of the crown jewel productions at TJ. “Her assiduous efforts and overall TJ pride that she’s maintained over the years makes her a true valued member of our community,” said TJ Principal Sandra Just. “She rocks.”
The 2010 show is currently being choreographed, and Wells has an optimistic outlook on the outcome. Will it be a success? “Do you even have to ask? Of course it’s going to be the best one ever!” exclaimed Wells.
Every year, the current top seniors are chosen to be contestants of the production, then the participating senior girls vote for the top 20 who will continue on into the contest. “We had to accept 21 guys into the competition this year because there was a four-way tie in the votes, and I couldn’t just pick one guy to not be in the competition.; not any of these 21 talented, entertaining gentlemen anyways!” Laughed Wells.
The 21 Senior Mr. TJ contestants are as follows: Demetrius Allen, Matthew Averyhart, Chase Bostic, Andrew Brown, Scott Bruskin, Kyle Caruthers, Deontae Fair, Zachary Jackson, Hayden Lammermann, Jared Lewis, Benjamin Makovsky, Thomas Moehlman, Shane Oliver, Nasheed Robison, David Sanchez, Billy Sprague, Peter Taylor, Bandon Truesdale, Dante Velez, and Keith Warren. “I’m really excited to be a part of the show this year. Mr. TJ is one of my favorite events at TJ, and I think we’ve got a great group of guys for the competition this year,” said Senior and Mr. TJ Contestant Jared Lewis.
If you wish to see the result of all the hard work put in by Kathy Wells and the 2010 Senior Ladies, the show is scheduled to go on stage April 9th, 2010 at 7 pm. Come watch as the top guys at TJ compete to charm the judges and go on to be crowned Mr. TJ 2010.
