On March 31, more than 100 Lexington High School students crowded together for two hours in the Quad to take part in LHS’s first-ever Mr. R Lookalike Contest.
Drawing hundreds of contestants and raising more than 2 thousand dollars for advancing health initiatives, the contest was a celebration of LHS alum and health teacher Rohen Sundaram, who goes by “Mr. R”.
“We wanted to honor Mr. R’s health class, which is why we held the competition in the Wheel of Wellness,” Paula L’astnamé, a student organizer of the event, said. “It was a celebration of the six pillars of wellness: social, occupational, environmental, intellectual, spiritual, and hair care.”
L’astnamé and a panel of four other student judges deliberated for two hours before coming to a final ranking of the contestants, evaluated solely based on their physical likeness to Sundaram. Final standings were announced via megaphone in the center of the Quad, followed by a parade in honor of the winners.
The judges ultimately named LHS freshman Curl O’Hare the winner of the Grand Prize, consisting of a Rancatore’s gift card. Later, it was revealed that Sundaram, who entered the contest without revealing his true identity, earned sixth place.
“The moment I saw Curl, I thought for sure it was the real Mr. R,” L’astnamé said. “His long, luscious locks were the most amazing I’d ever seen, so it was a real shocker when the real Mr. R was revealed to be someone else. One of the other judges actually fainted,”
O’Hare also expressed bewilderment that he had won the contest.
“I mean, I’m 5 feet tall, and the only similarity I have at all with Mr. R is my long hair. I don’t really know how I beat the real Mr. R,” O’Hare said in a post-contest interview.
Following the announcement of the results, Sundaram stated in a social media post that while saddened that he did not capture the Grand Prize, he was honored to have won 6th place.
“This is a great day for health,” Sundaram wrote. “Though I didn’t win the contest, this event has brought so much positive awareness to all forms of wellness. I’m excited to participate again in the 2026 edition of the Mr. R lookalike contest.”
As of April 1, a Change.org petition for Sundaram to “pls drop his curly hair routine” has more than 80,000 signatures. The petition is expected to be officially filed in the Middlesex Superior Court next week.
