On February 1, 2014, junior Ana Mordel stole the crown at the annual Miss HBHS Pageant hosted by EAST. The pageant was held to raise funds for the EAST program and encourage girls to be confident and come out of their shells.

As she walked on stage modeling her evening gown, Mordel couldn’t have been more nervous. The experience was so nerve racking that she failed to realize how well she was answering the judges and presenting herself on stage. Satisfied to even win runner-up, Mordel’s expectations were exceeded.

“When they announced that I had won, I couldn’t believe it. I even asked the person that announced it: ‘are you sure?’” said Mordel.

Throughout the pageant, all participants were required to model business attire, an evening gown, and do a personal interview in which judges ask participants questions based on their Miss HBHS application. The panel of judges was chosen by the EAST teacher Mrs. Lamb in order for the competition to be confidential and fair. The girls were also expected to answer questions on stage and a ‘fish bowl’ question based on their personal interview.

“I thought I wasn’t doing a good job answering the questions. The only thing I could think when they were putting the sash and crown on was: ‘thank you, God! I won my first pageant!’ It was awesome,” said Mordel.

Another junior participant, Shelby Potts, practiced her speaking for the interview and her on stage speaking. While she was preparing for her interviews, Potts was also utilizing her unique talents to prepare for the formal dress and business attire presentation. Potts made two of the dresses she wore during the pageant to set herself apart from the competition.

“My granny taught me at a young age. It was all my design and I didn’t even use a pattern,” said Potts.

Being her second year in the Miss HBHS Pageant, Potts was able to recognize that EAST had executed the pageant better than in previous years, such as the Dreamworks theme and decorations produced by senior EAST member Ariel Bagwell.

“I thought of the theme and drew a sketch of how I wanted it to look. Then me and my friends on the team set it up,” said Bagwell.

Bagwell was also responsible in assigning the team roles and creating an agenda of deadlines for the pageant. Several months of typing letters, sending out application packets, and pageant outlines resulted in a rewarding evening that went better than expected. Senior Madison Haskins, a team member, felt the reward of a successful pageant after witnessing the participants during the performance.

“It’s really awesome to be able to meet these girls who are really passionate about something and have great hearts. I also love being able to plan something so big, and I’m only in high school,” said Haskins.

The proceeds raised from the Miss HBHS Pageant go toward getting the team to the annual EAST Conference where all of the EAST programs in the state share their plans to better the community.