Two weeks ago, TPH members attended a journalism conference at Columbia University in New York City. One session discussed highlighting the unique events or activities students engage in at school. We immediately thought of a night filled with feathery costumes, hilarious skits, and amplified squawks: the PHS Bird Calling Contest. Fifty-five years ago, former teacher Leonard J. Waxdeck started the bird calling contest tradition that we all know today. Since the annual contest began in 1963, tickets have sold out in minutes and eager students and community members flooded Alan Harvey theater.
This year, on March 16, when the MCs ran onto stage to start the show, they were met with half-filled seats and only four acts performing. The week before the contest, organizers advertised the need for more acts, hoping to create a substantive show. Along with needing more acts, they also struggled to find designs for the poster, which is usually a paramount part of the event. While the winners have not appeared on the Tonight Show for the past three years, this contest still allows students to be creative and entertain the community with high-pitched squawks.
When we graduate from high school, we will be surrounded by people with similar high school experiences, and other newspaper editors, other ASB members, other soccer players, but who else can say they won first place in a bird calling contest? Or at least attended a school event dedicated to bird calling? It’s something very unique about our community, and an event to truly take pride in. Mr. Waxdeck passed away in 1994. It would be disrespectful to his long-lived career to let this tradition also pass away.
Bird calling truly is for everyone. Even those who do not enjoy acting or performing can still contribute to this light-hearted tradition; there is no reason to quit cold turkey in supporting your fellow peers. Even if you do not want to participate in the event, you can still see unique entertainment by just attending. This tradition has been going on for decades, and is a very unique aspect of PHS. Think about it harder next year, when you hear about sign ups, tryouts, and ticket sales. Let’s not let this quirky, entertaining event die.
