One of BSM’s most adorable traditions, Dog Fest, has stolen the hearts of students and staff alike since the late nineties. This year the showcase of dogs happened on April 3 when student council set up tables in the common/cafeteria, and the judges began surveying the dogs.

Returning judges Ms. Mary Murray and Ms. Katie Jantscher helped newbie Ms. Frederique Toft learn the ropes. Though Murray said that the list of criteria for the awards was top secret, she was willing to share some things that the judges pay attention to. “Their coat, color, friendliness, if they can do a trick, some kind of a response, personality,” Murray said.

The event is not very high pressure, as every dog does win an award, but Jantscher believes the dogs can feel the intensity of the room. “It’s a lot of pressure. They can get nervous with all these other dogs around. They have to perform,” Jantscher said.

This year, student council member Joe Marinaro MCed the evening for the second time. Marinaro had a good time directing the event last year so he decided to return and is considering being the MC for the event next year, too. “Last year I kind of randomly got selected to be the MC for the event and had a lot of fun, so this year I decided to keep it up,” Marinaro said.

According to Marinaro, the event is not very complicated and only takes about an hour to plan. Student council, who sponsors the event, is not required to attend, as many have spring sports and tryouts this time of year. “A lot of them are busy with spring sports and stuff, there’s a lot of tryouts, but we usually get a pretty good handful of students who really love this event, too,” Student Council Co-Advisor Ms. Kaia Preus said.

This year, Preus brought her dog, Chloe, who won the Best Hug Award. “I just love seeing all the dogs and seeing how all the humans just have a lot of fun looking at all the dogs,” Preus said.

For the people who attend dog fest, it’s a chance to connect with other community members. “Sometimes people don’t like, play a sport, or mathletes or go to prom… but they come here and I really like that,” Student Council Co-Advisor Ms. Rachel Kuzma Olson said.