- May 13, 2025
Mr. and Miss Seabreeze has been a tradition at Seabreeze High School since 1940, said Mr. and Miss Seabreeze co-director Jeanette Oberst.
“We're looking for that well rounded kid,” she said. “We're looking for the kids that will represent the school with some dignity and integrity and pride.”
This year, the competition for the school’s juniors had 14 contestants who registered. Chris Ward and Caley Linzmayer took home the titles for the 2025-2026 school year on April 9.
The competition encompasses more than just talent show, she said. Many factors are considered during the scoring including the students’ personal responsibility, a biography that contestants are required to submit, interviews and the two talent performances – one during the school day for students and one in the evening.
Oberst, who works as the administrative assistant to Seabreeze's principal, said she believes the most important aspect of the competition is the interview portion. It and the talent show points are each worth 35 points out of a total 100-point score.
Both Ward and Linzmayer did extremely well in their interviews, Oberst said. During the talent portions, Ward performed “Moving Out” by Billy Joel, singing and playing five different instruments: the drums, bass guitar, trombone, electric guitar and piano. Linzmayer sang “Chasing Pavements” by Adele.
“It's tough for these kids,” Oberst said. “When you're asking kids to put themselves out there, get out of their comfort zone and perform in front of 650 of their peers – it’s a pretty brave thing.”
Oberst has helped direct the competition for 26 years. In the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, interest in the competition began dropping off, partly because of changes to the school curriculum, including programs like dual enrollment and instituting short days.
“When we came back from COVID, kids started getting involved again,” she said.
Ward and Linzmayer will serve as Mr. and Miss Seabreeze for their senior year, with their first official duty being the Seabreeze’s senior awards ceremony’s emcees, and later helping out at graduation and meeting incoming eighth graders at the high school showcase.
“Anytime that we have something where we're bringing students to represent the school, Mr. and Miss Seabreeze are always involved in that,” Oberst said.
While Mr. and Miss Seabreeze are the only ones with official roles after the competition, many contestants return the next year to help out with the show. Some, like Oberst’s co-director, Christina Bridgeman, who was the runner-up for her own Miss Seabreeze competition, return years later to help inspire and work with the students.
“They [the students] love coming back and doing it,” Oberst said, “and we’re just blessed to have them want to still be involved.”
