That Time of Year is Back- AHS Pageant Preparations

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Kileigh Barcomb, Staff Writer

On March 25, students from around the Armuchee community will be on stage in the AHS auditorium to compete in the Mr and Miss Armuchee pageant. The Armuchee pageant has been a tradition at AHS for twenty-six years. In addition to the girls pageant, the Mr. Armuchee portion has been included since 2018. The age divisions range from pre-k to eighth grade for the junior miss divisions. Once the girls reach high school they will not compete again until their junior year in the Miss Armuchee portion. The AHS pageant includes evening wear and a group dance for younger girls; and for the Mr and Miss division there is evening wear, group dance, casual wear, and onstage question. The Armuchee pageant is held as a fundraiser for AHS cheer, and an event for students to come together and have fun. 

The AHS 2022 reigning Miss Armuchee is senior Elizabeth Stockton. Elizabeth moved to Armuchee in 7th grade, which made the Miss AHS pageant her first pageant experience. Elizabeth loved competing in Miss Armuchee. She said, “My favorite memory from Miss AHS was being backstage with all of my friends. We were all laughing and having such a good time together.” Miss Armuchee is not only a competition, but also a time for these girls to come together and make memories. This year Elizabeth will be crowning the 2023 Miss Armuchee. Many girls have asked Elizabeth what her advice was; she said, “Be sure to be true to yourself and always have fun. Let your personality show on stage.” Over twenty girls will be competing in the pageant this year. These girls are extremely excited and have been waiting to compete in the Miss AHS pageant since they were little. Junior Ivey Whitaker said, “I’ve watched the pageant every year growing up, so it’s super exciting to finally be a part of it with my friends.” Another junior, Olivia Dorsey, said, “I am excited for the pageant because this is my only opportunity to compete in high school, and I have grown up watching all of the older girls compete. It seems like a lot of fun and I am super excited to do it with my friends.” The Miss Armuchee pageant has become extremely popular among girls at AHS since it began twenty-six years ago. This pageant is an opportunity for the girls to step out of their comfort zone, make memories, and enjoy a special night. 

Along with our current reigning Miss Armuchee, we also have senior Jaiden Bunch as our reigning Mr. Armuchee. Like the girls pageant, the boys portion includes the casual wear, formal wear, group dance, and onstage question. Last year’s Mr. AHS pageant was Jaiden’s first pageant experience. He said, “I wanted to compete in Mr. AHS because all of my friends were participating and I knew it would be fun to do it together.” Jaiden has been asked for advice  by the current contestants. He said, “My advice for the boys participating in this year’s pageant would be to just enjoy it and always be yourself.” The pageant is a way for people to see the students’ personalities shine while they are on stage. Junior, Mylz Mcwhorter said, “I am excited to show the real Mylz to a bunch of people. I want to be able to look back on these memories with my friends.” This year there are over ten boys competing in the Mr. Armuchee portion. There is a large group participating this year due to the excitement and anticipation built up around the pageant. Junior Jackson Coonley said, “I am doing Mr. Armuchee because my whole friend group is doing it and it will be a great  way to participate and make memories.” For these boys, the pageant offers not only a chance to be Mr. Armuchee, but a chance to make lifelong memories with their friends.