It’s been two years. Of course, the long-awaited return of the Branford High School (BHS) Interact Lip Sync Battle is going to be epic.

“The last time we had this event was in 2022, so we’re excited to have it back this year,” said Conor Spaulding, BHS Interact president.

The battle will take the stage on Thursday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cathyann Roding Auditorium at BHS, 185 East Main Street. The public is welcome to come out to enjoy the show and support a great cause by purchasing a $5 ticket at the door or contributing a greater amount as a free will donation. Groups of BHS educators and students will battle with choreographed lip sync performances in a musical lineup to be revealed on show night.

The charity which will benefit from this fun event will also be revealed on May 23, once the night’s five judges decide the winning group.

The bigger the audience, the bigger the reward the winning group will earn for its charitable organization, said BHS Interact treasurer Lilly Geddes.

“All of the donations we’ll collect that night will make up the amount that the winner will contribute to the charity of their choice,” Geddes said.

The big event is also an opportunity to build community, Spaulding added.

“Our main goal is to build a community not only in the school, by building up relationships between the teachers and the students; but also between the school and Branford as a whole,” Spaulding said.

BHS Interact, a Branford Rotary-affiliated high school club, is advised by BHS faculty member Gina Lucibello. This year, upwards of 15 BHS Interact student members worked throughout the school year to assist Branford Rotary with service projects and to help contribute support to charitable organizations.

“Students get involved in a variety of different community service projects, some of which are local, and sometimes, they are global,” said Lucibello.

Leila Verzella said joining Interact this year has been a great experience.

“I’m a freshman, and coming into Interact, I didn’t really know what to expect. Now I’ve seen it’s a way to build community and get involved. We’ve had a lot of volunteer opportunities that have been really nice, and it’s been kind of cool to see the impact we’ve been able to have on the community,” said Verzella.

BHS Interact members have been working hard to build a buzz about the show in the BHS community, said BHS Interact member Lily Coppola.

“We’ve been trying to promote it by making videos with some of the faculty and participants and putting it onto the weekly morning show we have, ‘Hive Live,’ and putting out announcements to get people to participate,” said Coppola.

Leading by example, Lucibello and every student member of BHS Interact will be in the battle. Many other students are joining with faculty and staff to make up competing teams.

“Multiple faculty members as well as administrators have been working with students to get ready for the show,” said BHS Interact member Lauren Foster.

The night will be a fun show for the school community and family-friendly fun for community members, said Lucibello.

“It’s a great family event, and it brings the students and staff together, so it’s a nice way for everyone to celebrate the end of the school year,” said Lucibello.