Photo Set #1: 12th Annual Alpha Beautillion

On Sunday [May 12] 4 outstanding male high school students took to the stage to compete in the twelfth Annual Alpha Beautillion sponsored by the Brothers of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Epsilon Theta Lambda Chapter, Bermuda. Held at the Ruth Seaton James Auditorium for the Performing Arts, the crowd lingered with anticipation and excitement to see who would walk away with the coveted title of Alpha Beau 2013.

Marcus Bean of Cedarbridge Academy, Kyle Trott, of Warwick Academy, Marcus Smith, of Saltus Grammar School, and Paul DeShield of Bermuda institute were selected by the administration and staff at their schools as a result of their outstanding academic achievements and positive social decorum at their respective high schools.

The evening commenced with the dynamic introduction of the Alphas Beaus. The audience erupted as each Alpha Beau smartly adorned in their school uniform, proudly declared the school they represented and their future aspirations. Master of Ceremonies, Bro. Philip Trott and Brother Dantae Williams kept the audience throughout the evening with their spontaneous and quick wit and timely comedic trilogies.

The oratorical presentation of the Alpha Beaus was skillfully mastered as they boldly took a stand on whether or not they thought that social media had a positive or negative impact on the social interaction and interpersonal virtues of young people today. Many salient points were brought to the forefront regarding this topic as evidenced by the extensive research and information highlighted in each of the narratives presented.

As the lights dimmed, the curtains opened, and with fluorescent drum sticks in hand, Marcus Bean of CedarBridge Academy presented a stellar percussion solo on the drums, demonstrating his versatility in his ability to master various musical genres.

Kyle Trott, wooed the audience with a musical rendition on the keyboard, Paul DeShield, of Bermuda Institute delivered an original spoken word piece which left the audience on the edge of their seat gasping for more, and Marcus Smith of Saltus Grammar School, used his musical theatrics to entertain the audience. The talents of the Alpha Beaus were of a high caliber which demonstrated they had worked arduously to ensure that audience would not be disappointed with their performances.

As it was Mother’s Day, each Beau presented a yellow rose [The Fraternity Flower], to their mother. As their voiceover played and explained why the loved their mother, and the musical rendition of “Moma” by Boys to Men played in the background, the Brothers of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated presented each mother present with a yellow rose to show how much they were appreciated her for her steadfast love and devotion to nurturing her children.

After a 20 minute intermission, the Alpha Beautillion resumed with the highlight of the night-The Step Show. Stepping is linked to the African culture, and during the mid-20th century, historically-black fraternities and sororities on United States college campuses traditionally sang and chanted to celebrate “crossing over” into membership of their respective organizations. The Alpha Beaus, under the guidance of Step Master, Bro. Zuri Darrell, gave a rousing Step Performance that thrilled the audience from beginning to end. As the Alpha Beaus left the stage a thunderous applause followed and the final aspect of the evening, the impromptu question and answer period began.

MC, Bro. Dantae Williams had each Alpha Beau to sit in the chair adjacent to him, and asked how their pursuit in their chosen career would be different from all others who have entered the same profession. The unscripted, brilliant and reflective response of all four Alpha Beaus was a testament of their astute intellectual capacity, and their ability to think critically under pressure and how to respond with self-confidence.

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After all of the quality performances, MC Brother Philip Trott explained to the audience that the fact that each Alpha Beau was selected by his school, already made each one of them a winner. Bro. Trott emphasized that the Alpha Beautillion was a six month Rights of Passage program in which all Alpha Beaus participated in a plethora of activities which included attending and participating in our Math Attack program, and completing community service the Matilda Smith Williams Senior Residence Home, attending workshops at BELCO and XL Insurance

At the end of the evening, Marcus Bean of CedarBridge Academy was selected as the 2013 Alpha Beau. Marcus Smith of Saltus Grammar School was first runner up, Paul DeShield of Bermuda Institute was second runner up and Kyle Trott of Warwick Academy was the third runner up. Each of the participants received a scholarship with their winnings.

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Winner Marcus Bean will receive $5,000. The second and third place finishers will receive $3,000 and $2,000 respectively. All other participants receive $1,000 and each contestant will be attending the Alpha Phi Alpha Leadership Development Institute at Long Island University in New York during July this year.

The Alpha Beautillion is a male “rite of passage” ceremony where top male high school students demonstrate their oratorical ability, talent and community service activities as they compete for bursaries.

In September each year, each public and private high school is invited to nominate a male senior to become an “Alpha Beau”. The Beaus are mentored by fraternity members as they embark on a six month program which includes participation in the Math Attack male mentoring Program at Dellwood Middle School on a weekly basis, weekly volunteer work at the Matilda-Smith Rest Home, monthly mentoring meetings and more.

The program culminates with the Alpha Beautillion competition, where the cumulative scores of the prejudging for the six-month period prior and the tally of the scores from the final night ore added to decide the winner. By all accounts the 12th Annual Alpha Beautillion was a rousing success and all in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the event.

Photos by Anthony Wade, click to enlarge:

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