As a kick-off event to the winter carnival, Boston-based hypnotist Steve Marino put on a wowing show Saturday night, Jan. 20 at the Windham High School to raise money for Camp Sunshine.

The evening was organized by three Windham High School students from a business simulation class taught by Diane Leavitt.

“We found him online-” began Brian Hannon, 17.

“-And thought it would be a good idea,” Philip Passino, 16, said, finishing Hannon’s sentence.

Hannon and Passino, along with Jared Marcinuk, 16, organized the event as a prelude to this weekend’s Winter Carnival. On Monday, they reported a profit of $238 was made Saturday night and the event drew more than 100 people.

Both Passino and Marcinuk stepped on stage as volunteers and said they were unable to recall what had happened during the show.

“I was pretty tired when I got here,” said Marcinuk. He said after being hypnotized, he said he felt well rested.

“Fifteen minutes of hypnotism is like a 2-hour nap,” Marino said. Marino started the evening with about 25 volunteers, which he weeded down to 10 as some showed resistance.

Marino described hypnosis as “The power of suggestion directed towards a receptive person.” He said it won’t work on the unwilling.

“There’s nothing strange, nothing spooky about hypnosis,” he said. He said hypnosis is very common, and can be as mild as losing focus in repetitive traffic.

Instead of dangling a pocket watch or a swaying amulet in front of his volunteers, whom he referred to as “hypnosis guests,” Marino asked people to close their eyes as he used calm, descriptive words.

Marino started toying with those under his spell by telling them they were in a sweltering bus going to the beach on a hot day. He told them that the air conditioner kicked in, but went overboard and froze them in their swimsuits.

It was at this point that Tyler Brennick, 13, of Windham realized he wasn’t hypnotized and returned to his seat in the audience. A number of others reached the same conclusion, including business simulation teacher Diane Leavitt.

As Marino took his hypnotized guests through flying an airplane, driving a sports car and smooching a pet bird, their numbers dwindled until he reached his core group.

Some of these 10 were told to do things individually, such as Janessa Brewer, 16, of Windham.

“It’s just weird,” said Brewer, who felt relaxed afterwards and said she won’t believe her friends until she sees the video of her after Marino convinced her she was Jennifer Lopez.

Others were told they were Marilyn Monroe or a Japanese Empress.

“All I could do was hear, I couldn’t really sense anything else,” said Ian Levinsky, 17, of Raymond. He sung the Martian national anthem, which he improvised as a series of baritone notes, and gave birth to a child.

When Marino asked the entranced Levinsky how he became with child, he answered “That night in San Antonio I’ll never forget.”

After the show, Levinsky claimed he has never been to San Antonio.

Marino, who is also a middle school math teacher, said he used self-hypnosis to improve his grades in graduate school. He said he enrolled in a hypnosis school he found in the yellow pages after be began teaching.

“I had a class with a lot of mathophobics,” said Marino. He said the technique helped some of his students improve their math scores.

In 1999, Marino said he decided to enroll in program in Las Vegas that taught him showmanship, as well as improving his hypnosis abilities.

Hypnotist1 & Hypnotist2: Hypnotist Steve Marino strolls past his sleeping subjects Saturday night at Windham High School. The event raised more than $200 for Camp Sunshine.Hypnotist1 & Hypnotist2: Hypnotist Steve Marino strolls past his sleeping subjects Saturday night at Windham High School. The event raised more than $200 for Camp Sunshine.Hypnotist3: Hypnotized volunteers dance the twist at Windham High School, convinced be hypnotist Steve Marino that they are professional dancers. The event raised more than $200 for Camp Sunshine.