By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – The Miss PHS pageant, which honored several Pelham High School students and gave girls across all grade levels the chance to shine, brought together dozens of families, friends and faculty at the Pelham High School auditorium on Saturday, March 1 to celebrate the talent and achievements of PHS students.

The event saw Daeonna McGee win the title of Miss PHS, while Nyla Dickens was the runner-up to the award. Emma Grace Morgan won both Miss Jr. PHS and Miss Photogenic, while Maggie Alvis was Miss Jr. PHS runner-up. Other award winners included London Collins, who won Miss Congeniality, while Angelina Hines won People’s Choice and Brenna Vickery won the Best Interview award.

To participate in the pageant requires high levels of dedication, which Kristen Blake, the director of the pageant, emphasized when describing the preparation process.

“We practice a full week prior to the pageant,” Blake said. “They practiced their beauty walk, on-stage question, opening dance number and we also had an interview coach, Amanda Ford, prep them for the panel interview.”

The theme of the pageant, “Every Girl Deserves a Chance to Fly,” was heavily inspired by the “Wicked” franchise and gave contestants the opportunity to authentically be themselves, according to Blake.

“I truly believe every contestant in the pageant had their opportunity to shine in a beautiful dress and to express themselves in their panel interview,” Blake said. “My hope is that each contestant walked away with more confidence in themselves.”

While the spotlight gives the girls the chance to shine, being heavily featured in the public eye can bring pressure. Blake acknowledged this, and was proud of the way each contestant performed with all eyes on them.

“The girls impressed me with how well they handled themselves under the pressure,” Blake said. “The panel interview is six minutes, which is longer than some other pageants in our area. Their ability to handle the wide range of questions given to them made me proud.”

The event has been a tradition since 1977, but the theme of creating leaders for the future has remained a core theme of the pageant since its inception.

“It pushes our contestants outside of their comfort zone and allows them to be more adaptable,” Blake said.

The event, while still mainly aimed at developing the next generation of leaders through competition, is also a fundraiser for PHS’s parent-teacher organization.

“The funds will go directly back to our parents and teachers which supports programs that ultimately benefit our students,” Blake said.

The event is the largest PTO fundraising event hosted on campus, making it critical to supporting students and faculty alike across PHS.

While the event continues to be a success year-to-year, Blake still believes there is room for growth.

“We would like to increase our contestant pool and ideally raise more funds for the PHS PTO,” Blake said.

Through interviews, evening gown walks and song and dance, the contestants of the Miss PHS pageant were able to step out of their comfort zones and make memories that will last a lifetime.

For more information on the Miss PHS pageant, visit the PHS PTO’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/PTOforPHS.