Little Miss Dream Girl Pageant seeks growth
Phil Campbell Elementary School’s annual Little Miss Dream Girl Pageant is coming soon, to be held Sept. 16 at 11 a.m.
Brandi Gholston, guidance counselor and student council sponsor, organizes the event. She said the turnout is already looking good.
“We had around 30-40 girls register last year, and so far, we’ve seen the same amount of interest this year,” she said.
Gholston said she was excited to bring back the pageant last year and hopes that it continues to grow. She has been directing pageants for about seven years and said she has done everything from judging to photography.
This pageant is like a smaller version of the junior and senior Dream Girl Pageant Gholston also organizes, which is held in October. “The winners of Little Miss Dream Girl get to make an on-stage appearance at the big Dream Girl Pageant. They have a lot of fun with it,” Gholston said.
Girls from Pre-K up to the sixth grade can compete in Little Miss Dream Girl. They will be separated into four age divisions: Pre-K/kindergarten, first/second, third/fourth and fifth/sixth, Gholston explained.
First, the girls will walk out for a runway style introduction that will most likely by emceed by Gholston. “It will be a quick intro with their names and grades. The judges won’t be present until the group lineup,” she said.
Then, the girls will come out for the group lineup, where the judges will vote on Best Gown, Best Smile and Best Hair. These votes will not be included in their final scorecard to determine Queen, Gholston said.
Gholston has also arranged a grade representative vote that will be determined by the students’ peers and a photogenic vote that will be decided before the competition begins. Both votes will not affect their scorecards, she said.
Finally, the girls will walk out for their individual scores. The judges will score on a point scale: one to 25 for beauty, one to 15 for poise and appearance and one to 10 for overall appeal, Gholston explained.
“It’s a level playing field for all involved, whether they have previous pageant experience or not,” she said.
Last year’s queen will crown this year’s queen, who will also receive a sash and a trophy. There will be three alternates who will receive a sash and a trophy as well. All of the girls who don’t place as queen or alternates are called Future Miss Dream Girls and given a small trophy, Gholston said.
“There has been no bad sportsmanship, and I think it’s a really great experience for the girls,” she said.
The funds raised from the entry fees will go to the student council to help support school needs and projects.
