With the Naugatuck High School Davis Auditorium almost completely renovated, the school DECA club was ready to host the fifth annual Rip the Runway show. Students modeled in five different segments for this show: Summer, Best Buddies, World, Movie Characters, and Formal. Along with these modeling segments, there was also some very talented singing and dancing performances.

      Rip the Runway is a fashion show event that’s been held at Naugatuck High School since 2010. Any student can sign up to be a part of the show, from modeling, to performing, and even helping out on the day of the show. Tickets were sold for $10 at the door. The proceeds will help offset the cost of DECA students attending the DECA Power Conference, which is in Austin, Texas in November.

The show was held Saturday, October 10th in the newly refurbished Davis Auditorium. This was the first of two Rip the Runway shows that will be held by DECA this school year. DECA was unable to have a Rip the Runway show for the class of 2015 last year due to the school’s auditorium still being under renovation. “Students were so disappointed when the show had to be cancelled last year. But good things come to those who wait, and having this chance to make it up to last year’s seniors is a perfect ending,” Reilly said in an interview with the Citizens News.

The show was an absolute success. Despite limitations in rehearsals due to last minute renovation and last minute clean up work, the NHS students put on an amazing show to a sold out crowd. The models strutted the stage and the performances were incredible. Fejiro Onakpoma and Erik Cruz blew the crowd away with their “Evolution of Dance” routine. Also, returning 2014 graduate Troy Bond and NHS guidance counselor Matthew Rosen gave their third “History of Rap” performance. NHS physical education teacher Mr. Sean Dunn and the high school girls soccer team paid tribute to Mrs. Rebecca Cruz and Mrs. Donna Dietz by performing a memorial dance to “Burn” by Ellie Goulding. The crowd gave a huge ovation for what was a magical night for Naugatuck High School.

Overall, the NHS DECA President and stage manager Alexus Coney did an amazing job of running this show yet again. On the next school day after the show Mr. Reilly said, “This was the first one of the runway shows that my dad has gone to, and after the show I saw him crying because of how proud he was of what the students accomplished that night. We left him speechless. This was the best Rip the Runway we’ve ever had.”

On April 14th of next year, there will be a Rip the Runway show for the class of 2016, which should be just as good if not better than 2015’s show. The stage will be set yet again for another incredible night filled with fashion and talent at Naugatuck High School.