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The Miss BHS Pageant is set to take place at the new Performance Arts building on February 22 at 6:00 PM.

Sally Hawthorne, an English Teacher at BHS, is the organizer of the event. Hawthorne brings extensive experience with pageants, having competed in the Miss Swine Time Pageant in the late 70s and early 80s. She won the Talent Award for three consecutive years and ultimately secured the pageant title in her final attempt. After marriage, Hawthorne transitioned to coaching and emceeing pageants and later began directing pageants and talent shows.

The previous Miss BHS pageant was held in 2006. At that time, Hawthorne was the co-advisor for the Anchor Club, which was in need of fundraising ideas. She proposed reviving the Miss BHS pageant to support the Anchor Club. After discussing the idea with Dr. Heidi Chambers, an English Teacher at BHS and co-advisor for the Anchor Club, they decided to proceed. They developed the competition areas before presenting the idea to the Anchor Club. Interest in the pageant grew significantly once staff members and the community learned about it.

Hawthorne and Chambers decided to focus the pageant on intellect rather than appearance, promoting inclusivity for all girls. Hawthorne stated, “The majority of the competition areas involve the contestants’ knowledge and their ability to express that knowledge clearly and concisely. We are placing a higher degree of importance on how well our contestants can carry themselves while responding to a variety of questions posed to them in equally varied formats.” She added, “These questions will likely address issues faced by teens in today’s world, as well as other topics on which we expect our contestants to have mature opinions.”

The event will begin with an opening number where contestants choose an outfit that best expresses who they are. Each contestant will perform a dance routine, during which they will introduce themselves and explain their outfit choice. There will also be an evening gown competition, during which contestants will answer an on-stage question. These areas require poise and knowledge of both the U.S. and the world. Most questions will be based on awareness topics relevant to teenage girls. Contestants will need to think objectively and provide genuine, well-thought-out answers.

Once all scores are tabulated, the contestants with the highest scores will advance to the next round. A few contestants will then present an extemporaneous speech on a platform of their choice. The speech will account for 50% of the score, with the remaining 50% coming from the earlier competition areas.

Hawthorne has enlisted the help of BHS faculty members for lighting, sound, concessions, gifts, raffle items, choreography, and more. “Without the help of those who agreed to assist in this endeavor, it would have been impossible for me to have pulled it off on my own,” Hawthorne stated. “We are not only relying on BHS teachers for help but are also reaching out to Bainbridge Decatur County businesses, professionals, and anyone else who’d like to be a part of bringing back this BHS tradition. Ways to help include donations, gifts, gift cards, or anything to help reward and recognize our winners.”

So far, the pageant has ten contestants, but the number is steadily growing until the deadline.