Golden Apple: Bemidji High School’s ‘Mean Girls’ Production Wins 10 Awards

Bemidji High School’s musical production of “Mean Girls,” which was performed last month, won eight individual and two group awards from the Hennepin Arts Spotlight Education program.

“It’s for your performance for the play,” explained Addyson Yanish, who earned Honorable Mention in a Featured Role as Coach Carr. “They come around and they look at everyone and they go, ‘Oh, this person’s doing really good with their dancing, their facial expressions, their acting.'”

There are different tiers to the awards, from a shoutout to honorable mention to outstanding honors. But the recognition means so much more than just a piece of paper.

“It’s so important, I think, for students to realize they don’t work in a vacuum, that there’s not only people who appreciate and attend theater, but there are people who also want to give them careers in it, that there’s a place they can go,” said Bemidji High School Musical Director Jeremiah Liend. “And I’m really thankful for these awards as something that a student can put on the resume as they enter the working world or try auditioning for pieces.”

“It’s really an honor to be able to be presented with an award like this,” said Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role recipient Sophia Hordichok, who played Janis Sarkisian. “It feels really like all my hard work paid off in the end.”

“It means a lot because I’ve always loved theater and just like singing and dancing and all that,” said Yanish. “So to be able to be on the stage, first of all, was an amazing experience. And then being able to win an award is just awesome.”

“I think it just means that my effort went noticed and they really wanted to, like, showcase that they saw how hard I worked,” said Honorable Mention in a Featured Role recipient Annika Selberg, who played Gretchen Wieners.

Several of the students will be invited to the 2025 Spotlight Showcase at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, where they will get to learn technical skills and perform at the next level. While many of the performers received the awards, they also really wanted to shine a spotlight on some of the behind-the-scenes workers as well.

“Working technical theater, people can feel unappreciated just because they’re not up on stage getting the applause,” said Liend. “But something I try to emphasize in my work is that none of it works without the tech people backstage making things happen.”

“It’s really nice to be recognized.” said “Mean Girls” audio soundboard operator and Outstanding Technical Leadership winner Christianna “Lucky” Beldo. “I never really got recognized at my old theater, so it’s nice to see that, you know, I’m a valuable part of the production.”

The honors have all been announced, but they will be handed out to the students at an award ceremony in January in order so they can get together and celebrate as a whole cast and crew.

Individual award winners:

• Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role: Sophia Hardichok (Janis Sarkisian), Isabel Neal (Regina George)
• Honorable Mention in Leading Roles: Lelah Keihne (Cady Heron), Annika Selberg (Gretchen Wieners)
• Honorable Mention in a Featured Role: Addyson Yanish (Coach Carr, ensemble players)
• Outstanding Technical Leadership: Chrisitanna “Lucky” Beldo (sound technician)
• Honorable Mention in Technical Leadership: Haizley Stoecher (stage manager), Lillian (Salem) Newman (light board operator)

Group awards:

• Outstanding Honor for sound crew
• Honorable Mention for overall technical team