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Boonton High School’s Annual GSA Show took place the weekend of on May 29-31, 2025 and the performances by the Red and Black Teams were amazing.
The Red Team, whose theme was “The Wizard of Oz,” won for the first time in six years, breaking the Black’s streak. But what is GSA and how did the 2025 show go?
To begin, GSA or Group Sports Association, is a dancing and acting club at BHS which is under the direction of Ms. Bonanni, Ms. O’Shea, and Ms. Settineri. The club is open to all of the students of BHS, both boys and girls.
The girls who join are able to participate in the dancing and character aspects of the show, whereas the boys who take part serve primarily as time wasters and have the opportunity to become a character in the show.
Each year, there is a “stick-choosing” ceremony. This is where the girls and boys who would like to join GSA pick a stick – red or black, of course – to determine whether they will become a member of the Red or Black Team. From here, each team’s “overalls” choose the show they would like their team to put on for the year.
“I’m still in shock,” said Tessa Monrad, one of the overalls for the Red Team. “It’s bittersweet because we’re seniors. We had a lot of support and all of the people on our team had the drive and determination to win.”
The overalls for the ‘24-’25 school year were Monrad, Vallery Rios, and Hailey Tuohy of the Red Team and Michelle Tripetsky, Sierra Medina and Rebecca Johnson for the Black Team.
The Red Team chose to present the “Wizard of Oz” this year, and the Black Team presented “Legally Blonde.”
With Kaelynn Wines leading with an outstanding performance of Dorothy, and Tripetsky doing a fantastic job of embodying Elle Woods, they both walked away from the show with the “Best Character” award.
The winner of the two shows is decided by anonymous judges who sit in the audience. These judges are provided with a rubric and scoring sheet that they use to determine whether a team loses or gains points. On the final night of the show, the winners are announced.
Monrad, the surprise captain, felt that a tap dancing number, which took place halfway through their performance, was a highlight for the Red Team. Monrad, Brianna Evans and Emma Bledsoe did the tap dancing and impressed the audience.
“It was out of the ordinary,” Monrad said. “People weren’t expecting it.”
Monrad was glad to display the skills she learned from attending classes at Gateway to the Arts in Denville.
Sophie Strelkoff, in her third year as a GSA participant, said the Black Team’s show was comprised of two parts: Modern and glow.
Strelkoff thought the aerobic tumbling was the best aspect of the Black Team’s endeavor.
“We did stunts like they do in cheerleading,” said Strelkoff. “That brought adrenalin, excitement and energy to the show.”
After five years of Black Team taking home the title, the Red Team triumphed, prevailing by 17 points. The Red Team was successful with their show and dances.
“We wanted to stay humble,” Rios said of the Red Team. “We didn’t win until the announcement was made. We wanted to bring the same energy or more every day. Win or lose, we still would’ve been proud of all of our hard work.”
Of course, the Black Team turned in an exceptional effort as well. The shows were entertaining for the students and members of the community to watch.
“GSA is a great experience. I love GSA,” Strelkoff said. “As a freshman, I was so scared. I’m confident now.”
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