EAST puts on pageant for young girls

Caroline Cain, A&E Editor

Junior Peyton Wilson thinks back to when she was in fifth grade and recalls her vision being flooded by bright lights as she stepped up on stage to compete for the title of Miss HBHS. Rehearsed answers flooded through young Wilson’s mind as the host rattled off questions for the line of girls.

“I remember having a lot of fun being around girls who were all very nice. I remember the Har-Ber girls who helped work it. They kind of showed us around Har-Ber so it was fun to get to see the school before I came here. It was also fun to be around girls that were coming to Har-Ber in the future,” Wilson said.

A group of students from the EAST program host the Miss HBHS pageant.

“I enjoy seeing my girls who are in charge of this pageant pick through strategies of event planning. It is nice to see them get out of their shells so that they may grow and understand the development of a tradition and how to improve every year,” Linden Shinall, EAST facilitator, said.

The pageant is an opportunity to get young girls in the community involved. Girls of the student body are encouraged to participate.

“I would encourage the ladies at Har-Ber to participate even if they have no pageant experience. There are many opportunities to showcase your talents, goals, and desires as a growing young lady. Come practice poise, professionalism, and pageant excitement,” Shinall said.

The pageant is viewed as an important event held at the school.

“I think not only is it important for us girls to have a peer to look up to but it’s also important for girls to have the opportunity to participate because Miss HBHS has nothing to do with looks. Most girls see it as a beauty pageant, but it’s a personality pageant. It’s not what you look like, it’s about who you are as a person and what your heart is like,” winner of last year’s Miss HBHS, Sarah Strickland said.

Miss HBHS will be held on February 25 in the Har-Ber High School PAC and all girls interested are encouraged to participate. Girls interested can pick up an application in D209.

“I would tell them [the girls participating this year] to make the most out of it by not worrying about the outcome and just enjoying the experience. It’s not about who wins, it’s about the memories you make in the process,” Strickland said.