COURTLAND
In order to help students gain confidence and learn to believe in themselves, Riverdale Elementary School held a pageant that allowed students — girls and boys — to show off who they are as an individual. The Mr. and Miss Riverdale’s “Believe in Yourself Pageant” was not only a success for the children who participated, but also for all the parts of the community that were involved.

“In an effort to increase community involvement with the school, Riverdale has been committed to involving community outreach opportunities this year. Riverdale Elementary wanted to promote self-confidence to achieve one’s goals and aspirations,” Riverdale Elementary School Assistant Principal and “Believe in Yourself Pageant” chair Tamee Railey said. “Confidence comes from within, from the deep belief in yourself and your abilities. Hosting a “Believe in Yourself” pageant would build upon these necessary qualities to prepare our students for lifelong success.”

The pageant fell on the night before the students were getting off for spring break, which happened to be the same day that Miss Virginia 2015 Savannah Lane came to the school and spoke to the students in third- through fifth-grade classes about her platform, Power of Performance. Miss Virginia also served as a judge the night of the pageant.

Hearing Miss Virginia speak helped several of the students receive the boost they needed to be able to perform their best during the pageant.

“Thankfully, Abbey Webb [Southampton County resident] assisted me in contacting Miss Virginia’s representative,” Railey said when asked about how Miss Virginia’s appearance came about.

Aside from Lane, the pageant had four other judges, Karitta Page, Abbey Webb, Velvet King and Lizzie Allen. Several local queens also made appearances at the pageant and assisted in anyway possible.

Students were scored on their introduction (ease of speaking; ability to communicate); general appearance (make-up, shoes, hairstyle, condition of outfit, accessories); presentation (modeling techniques, poise, smile); and on-stage question-and-answer (personality, poise, ability to communicate in front of audience, context of the answer in relation to question).

The students were grouped together based on grade. The overall winner for each category were as follows:

• Little Mr. Riverdale – Karter Thorpe (Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergartner category);

• Little Miss Riverdale – Savanna Moore (Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten category);

• Young Mr. Riverdale – Jackson McFarland (First and Second-grade category);

• Young Miss Riverdale – Keira Doss (First and Second-grade category);

• Junior Mr. Riverdale – William Rhoney (Third and Fourth-grade category);

• Junior Miss Riverdale – Gabriella Outlaw (Third and Fourth-grade category);

• Mr. Riverdale – Cameron Jenkins (Fifth-grade category) ;

• Miss Riverdale – Katelin Dawson (Fifth-grade category);

• Audience Choice Award – Emily Meade.

Other contestants were awarded a title from the following categories: Best Introduction/Public Speaking; Best Hair Fashion; Best Show Fashion, Best Fashion Accessories; Best Dressed; Best Makeup; Best Stage Presence; Best Smile; Best Suit; Most Creative Outfit; Most Spirited; Most Athletic Inspired Outfit/Sporty; Congeniality (behind stage behavior/helpful to others); Most Original Answer; and Most Humorous Answer.

Although Railey noted that the pageant was lengthy, she said that it gave each constant the opportunity to be in the spotlight on two occasions, once as a group to introduce themselves and then to participate in the question-and-answer session. She added that the students have told her they learned and gained a lot through this experience.

“I think all the boys and girls should be proud of themselves because you could be yourself and choose clothes you wanted and that made you stand out,” Cailynn Moore, a third-grade participant and winner of the Best Introduction/Public Speaking title, said. “They should be proud and they all did a really good job. The pageant really built my confidence. I will definitely participate in the pageant again next year.”

Railey added, “The pageant turned out better than anticipated. With 84 participants, there was a large turn out the night of the pageant for support. We had wonderful participation both from contestants, families and friends. We hope to continue the tradition of the ‘Believe in Yourself Pageant.’”