Helena crowns winners of Miss HHS, Little Miss Helena

Published 10:59 am Tuesday, March 18, 2025

By Tyler Raley

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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

HELENA – Donning their gowns and showcasing their talents, Helena High School allowed girls from all over the school to show out at their 11th annual Miss HHS pageant on Saturday, Feb. 15.

All of the participants in the pageant were students of Helena High School and were judged based on their poise, stage presence, interview answers and the articulation of the answers they provided. 

On the morning of the pageant, all of the contestants completed a three-minute interview with the judges so that they could get to know the girls on a more personal level. 

According to Helena High School English teacher and pageant coordinator Jennifer Russell, the interview and pageant as a whole does a lot for the girls as it helps them to meet new people and build life skills that they will use down the road.

“This gives them valuable practice with their interview skills and being able to talk to people they are unfamiliar with,” Russell said. “My favorite advantage of competing is that it gives girls an opportunity to interact with people who they may not be able to otherwise. They are able to meet people from different cliques and grades. I love seeing them come together to support each other and cheer each other on.”

Throughout the week leading up to the night of the pageant, the participants also stayed each day after school to practice how to walk, how to answer their interview questions and how to dance for the event’s opener. 

Following the night’s opening dance, the girls got dressed in their evening gowns for their first walk, crossing the stage with their escorts. Following the walks, the judges announced the top five contestants that would participate in the on-stage questioning portion of the night.

This year’s finalists were Ella Bradbury, Anna Cruce Johnson, Regan Landry, Demi Moss and Alyson Ragland. 

Russell stated that seeing the girls get on stage and show the best of themselves is her favorite part of being able to see this pageant come to life every year.

“I really just love getting to watch the girls on stage. Seeing them encourage others and be confident in themselves is the best part by far,” Russell said.

After the questioning ended and the judges deliberated and selected the winners of the various categories, including crowning Alyson Ragland as the 2025 Miss HHS. 

In addition, Regan Landry was crowned as Miss Congeniality, Avery Burdette won Most Photogenic, Anna Grace Johnson won People’s Choice and Austin Lewis was named Best Escort.

Russell emphasized how happy she feels knowing the pageant ran smoothly for yet another year, seeing all of the hard work and emotions come to fruition.

“My favorite part of organizing the pageant is getting to see the girls on stage and their faces light up when they come off the stage proud of what they did,” Russell said. “It really is all about the girls and giving them a chance to feel beautiful and confident on the stage. I do not think there has ever been a pageant that ran completely smoothly, but I am very grateful for the colleagues and students who help me year after year make this pageant a success. They are truly the only reason I am able to do it.”

Meanwhile, in January, the Helena High School cheerleaders put on the fifth annual Little Miss Helena pageant, which featured a winner for each category, Miss Photogenic and People’s Choice. 

The pageant was for girls in kindergarten through second grade and allowed girls to walk in their pageant dresses, as well as answer questions from a panel of judges. The judges scored them based on their answers, as well as their pageant presentation.

After it was all said and done in the afternoon at Helena High School, Blakely May was crowned as the 2025 Little Miss Helena by Ari Gonzales, who won the crown in 2024.

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