On April 5th The Armuchee pageant took place and this year was no exception. A pageant is when mostly girls compete in gowns and answer questions to win a crown. Girls from pre-k to eighth grade can compete for smaller titles, but the one that everyone gets excited about is the Mr and Miss Armuchee pageant for the Juniors to know who will be crowned Mr and Miss Armuchee. Boys and girls sign up months in advance to have time to prepare for this once in a lifetime opportunity of being honored from the school in such a way. On April 5 there were many nerves and butterflies passed around from all the participants but in the end it was a great opportunity to be with friends and to show how much you love your school. 

Pageants are something that takes a lot of preparation for most people. This includes spray tanning, getting your hair and nails done, as well as make-up, and most importantly, buying the clothing and the ball gown you’ll be wearing as you compete. Although the boys do not have to worry about some of those things, they still need to prepare in their own ways by buying a suit and their other outfits of choice. Another one of everybody’s favorite parts is the dance that the boys and girls separately perform most of the time. It’s comedic in some ways, while also showing off a fun bit of their personalities, and is a good way to settle their nerves and have a fun time realizing that they can just enjoy it. Before the pageant contestant Bella Duck said, “I’m actually very excited because I’ve watched it for years just like when I was little so it’s always been something I’ve looked forward to.” For Bella. She knew this was something she could look forward to, and had always anticipated to partake in. Bella put in the hard work and had the determination, and ended up awarded second place, which is a very big achievement, and it was something for which she was very excited. After the pageant she said, “When they called my name for runner up I was really surprised because I didn’t think it was gonna be me.” Bella’s feelings changed once after hearing her name. She also said, “I wasn’t nervous at all going into it and then I got there and I got really nervous but it was also such a fun experience at the same time so once I got on stage the nerves just kinda went away.” Bella deserved the title she won because she worked hard and put her best foot forward, and even when she got nervous she worked past it in order to claim the title she received. Miss Armuchee 2025 went to Ansley Cordle who said, “To win the pageant was an amazing experience, winning was a great end to the week but really not the important thing, the most enjoyable thing about the pageant was getting to do it with some of my closest friends, but winning did feel like such an honor to be chosen out of such an amazing group of girls.” Ansley was happy to be there with girls she grew up with and was proud to be chosen out of so many participants. She also said, “I was nervous but confident going into the pageant, I wanted to win but knew it was just for fun and as long as I was myself then I would have the ending I wanted. “ She earned Miss Armuchee just by being herself, which is something others should look up to.

Mr. Armuchee went to Drake Ballard, many believe it was well deserved, and that he had earned his win before the pageant, he said, “I’m a little bit nervous but I’m also excited and hope that I have a good time with my friends that are there with me as well”. Drake was focused on spending time with his friends and making lasting memories, which is what the pageant is all about. He did his best to try and have fun with it even though he was nervous after the pageant, he said, “I’m just happy and I’m glad that I won and it was just an exciting and fun time to spend with the people in my grade.” Drake accompished his goal of making it fun and lasting memories with his friend and also got the exciting privilege of being able to take home a crown and a sash, but those things cannot compare to the lasting memories he made. 

The pageant is an exciting tradition that is looked forward to by many of the people in the community of Armuchee. Winning a crown, a title, and a sash, or being able to dress up with your friends and take pictures in sparkly gowns and fun suits is a fun opportunity, but it’s also important to everyone that they are making lasting memories and enjoying their time as junior year is coming to a close, and they will get to spend their senior year as Mr. or Miss. Armuchee.