toledoblade.com --

TEMPERANCE - Jake Hoogendoorn is the newest celebrity at Bedford Junior High School. As of yesterday, he's also $2,500 richer.

The seventh-grader has about 1,500 new friends at his school after he won them all an exclusive performance by teen pop sensation JoJo yesterday afternoon. JoJo sang four songs from her hit album while the middle school students shrieked and displayed signs saying, "We love JoJo," "You're a hottie," and "Will you marry me?" - many held by boys with home phone numbers included.

Jake, 13, won the concert in a national sweepstakes sponsored by Chef Boyardee. His mom beat the 16 million-to-one odds by opening a can of spaghetti and meatballs that had been designated the grand-prize winner.

"People keep telling me, 'You're my hero,'●" Jake said after the concert. "It's kind of fun."

At 14, JoJo - a suburban Boston resident whose real name is Joanna Levesque - is the same age as the Bedford eighth graders. But while they've been preparing for the jump to high school, she's been in Australia and Vancouver filming two movies. After yesterday's concert she was headed back to British Columbia to finish filming RV, an upcoming film with Robin Williams.

"This is my core audience, but I don't get to spend much time in schools," JoJo said. "It's been really nice to be here."

And although she is the same age as the Bedford students she performed for, JoJo appeared older in skin-tight jeans and a tank top with rhinestones, a sparkly gold belt, and Ugg snow boots. As always, JoJo's mother traveled with her.

Before the concert, a Chef Boyardee representative presented Jake with a $2,500 check as part of his grand prize. Principal Mary Lou Zaums pumped her fist in the air while receiving $5,000 for the school and $500 for the student council.

Mrs. Zaums said $1,500 of the money would go toward the purchase of a heart defibrillator.

Both Jake and Mrs. Zaums had presents for JoJo too. The principal gave her a school T-shirt and a dozen roses, while the Hoogendoorn family crowded around the singer to watch her open a box containing a sterling silver charm bracelet, which she promptly slipped on her wrist. Jake and JoJo hugged each other for their parents, the school yearbook staff, and Chef Boyardee representatives to take photos.

Mrs. Zaums only agreed to allow the concert after researching JoJo's music to make sure it was suitable for middle schoolers, but she said she was thrilled with the performance. Since releasing her eponymous album last summer, JoJo has become a favorite artist of many 12 to 16 year olds, so the principal was likely one of very few audience members who had never heard the single "Leave (Get Out)."

"She is not just a beautiful singer, but what a neat teenager," Mrs. Zaums said. "She gave us her all. Her heart was so into pleasing our kids."

Several students said after the concert that they were JoJo fans even before seeing her live, so they were excited such a high-profile star performed at their school. Monica McKenzie, a 13-year-old seventh grader, said JoJo was "so amazing in person" that she wanted to go buy her CD.

As for JoJo's impressions of Bedford Township, she said she isn't used to spending time in small towns.

"I didn't think we would ever find it," she said.

Contact Megan Greenwell at:
mgreenwell@theblade.com
or 419-724-6050.

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