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May 2, 2007 Tonganoxie Mirror
By Lara Hastings, Reporter
Thursday, November 29, 2007
It's time to crown a new Miss Leavenworth County and Miss Wooded Hills. And, women from all over Kansas will be competing for the titles in the second annual Miss Leavenworth County and Miss Wooded Hills pageant this weekend at Basehor-Linwood High School. Executive director Elizabeth Jump said the pageant has gained more support since its debut in March 2007. "We have more sponsors and community interest this year," Jump said. "We also have more scholarship money to offer this year. We've definitely gotten a lot more recognition in our own community and had a lot more time to prepare this year."
The event is an official local preliminary of the Miss America Organization, the largest provider of scholarships for women in the world. Joel Nichols from KMBC-TV and Sarah Jump, a 2001 Basehor-Linwood High School graduate and former Miss Kansas contestant, will serve as hosts for the pageant. Ten women between the ages of 17 and 23 are expected to compete for the titles through evening gown, swimsuit, talent and onstage interview categories. The two women with the top scores will earn the titles of Miss Leavenworth County and Miss Wooded Hills and will go on to compete in the Miss Kansas pageant in June in Pratt.
This year's local pageant was scheduled a bit earlier to allow for a teen portion. At least three girls between the ages of 13 and 17 are expected to compete for the title of Miss Leavenworth County Teen. The categories are similar to the Miss portion except swimsuit will be replaced with fitness and sportswear. "They just wear something that demonstrates something they do to stay physically active," Jump said. The teen titleholder will then go on to compete for the title of Kansas Outstanding Teen in February in Wichita.
Even the youngest pageant-bound ladies will soon be able to participate in the Miss Leavenworth County and Miss Wooded Hills Pageant with the introduction of the Leavenworth County Sunflower Princess mentoring program. Designed for girls ages 5 through 12, the program is not a competition, but a chance for younger girls to participate in the program and receive a mentoring session from the current Miss Kansas. This year's representative, 8-year-old Kaleigh Johnson of Lansing, will receive a tiara and will participate in the opening number and crowning ceremony. However, next year, more young ladies will be able to take part. "It's just a way to have them meet some girls that are goal-oriented and have some fun," Jump said.
The audience can expect a wide variety of entertainment, especially in the talent portion, Jump said. Women will bring everything from comedy monologues and flag routines to singing and dancing to try to impress the judges. Miss Kansas, Alyssa George of Minneapolis, the current Miss Leavenworth County, Tonganoxie native Paula Prosser, and the current Miss Wooded Hills, Lindsay Hoover of Manhattan, will also perform. George has spent the last several months traveling around the state speaking about her personal platform, "Bullying the Bystander Effect," and will travel in January to Las Vegas to compete in the Miss America Pageant. "Miss Kansas is a full-time job," Jump said. "Sometimes she'll speak three or four times in a school system a day." Local titleholders Prosser and Hoover have also set the bar high for the upcoming hopefuls. Hoover earned first runner-up at Miss Kansas while Prosser made it into the top 10. Both women brought home $1,600 in scholarships each. "About 20 girls qualify for Miss Kansas and all of them have won a local to get there," Jump said.
The Miss Leavenworth County and Miss Wooded Hills Pageant will be at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 8, in the Basehor-Linwood High School auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
It's time to crown a new Miss Leavenworth County and Miss Wooded Hills. And, women from all over Kansas will be competing for the titles in the second annual Miss Leavenworth County and Miss Wooded Hills pageant this weekend at Basehor-Linwood High School. Executive director Elizabeth Jump said the pageant has gained more support since its debut in March 2007. "We have more sponsors and community interest this year," Jump said. "We also have more scholarship money to offer this year. We've definitely gotten a lot more recognition in our own community and had a lot more time to prepare this year."
The event is an official local preliminary of the Miss America Organization, the largest provider of scholarships for women in the world. Joel Nichols from KMBC-TV and Sarah Jump, a 2001 Basehor-Linwood High School graduate and former Miss Kansas contestant, will serve as hosts for the pageant. Ten women between the ages of 17 and 23 are expected to compete for the titles through evening gown, swimsuit, talent and onstage interview categories. The two women with the top scores will earn the titles of Miss Leavenworth County and Miss Wooded Hills and will go on to compete in the Miss Kansas pageant in June in Pratt.
This year's local pageant was scheduled a bit earlier to allow for a teen portion. At least three girls between the ages of 13 and 17 are expected to compete for the title of Miss Leavenworth County Teen. The categories are similar to the Miss portion except swimsuit will be replaced with fitness and sportswear. "They just wear something that demonstrates something they do to stay physically active," Jump said. The teen titleholder will then go on to compete for the title of Kansas Outstanding Teen in February in Wichita.
Even the youngest pageant-bound ladies will soon be able to participate in the Miss Leavenworth County and Miss Wooded Hills Pageant with the introduction of the Leavenworth County Sunflower Princess mentoring program. Designed for girls ages 5 through 12, the program is not a competition, but a chance for younger girls to participate in the program and receive a mentoring session from the current Miss Kansas. This year's representative, 8-year-old Kaleigh Johnson of Lansing, will receive a tiara and will participate in the opening number and crowning ceremony. However, next year, more young ladies will be able to take part. "It's just a way to have them meet some girls that are goal-oriented and have some fun," Jump said.
The audience can expect a wide variety of entertainment, especially in the talent portion, Jump said. Women will bring everything from comedy monologues and flag routines to singing and dancing to try to impress the judges. Miss Kansas, Alyssa George of Minneapolis, the current Miss Leavenworth County, Tonganoxie native Paula Prosser, and the current Miss Wooded Hills, Lindsay Hoover of Manhattan, will also perform. George has spent the last several months traveling around the state speaking about her personal platform, "Bullying the Bystander Effect," and will travel in January to Las Vegas to compete in the Miss America Pageant. "Miss Kansas is a full-time job," Jump said. "Sometimes she'll speak three or four times in a school system a day." Local titleholders Prosser and Hoover have also set the bar high for the upcoming hopefuls. Hoover earned first runner-up at Miss Kansas while Prosser made it into the top 10. Both women brought home $1,600 in scholarships each. "About 20 girls qualify for Miss Kansas and all of them have won a local to get there," Jump said.
The Miss Leavenworth County and Miss Wooded Hills Pageant will be at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 8, in the Basehor-Linwood High School auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.
March 7, 2007 Tonganoxie Mirror
Tonganoxie contestant wins Miss Leavenworth County title
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
A Tonganoxie native proved to be the brightest star Saturday night at the first-ever Miss Leavenworth County Scholarship pageant.
Paula Prosser was a name the audience knew well by the end of the competition as she was awarded the top score for the interview, evening gown and swimsuit portions, as well as the People's Choice award. She was then crowned Miss Leavenworth County 2007.
"It was a little embarrassing," Prosser said about winning the majority of the awards at the pageant at Basehor-Linwood High School. "I was surrounded by all these great girls and I thought I hadn't prepared enough. It's always very exciting to be acknowledged for your work."
The 2006 Tonganoxie High School graduate is a freshman at Kansas University and is majoring in music therapy. She became involved in the pageant world at a young age and was a former Miss Kansas Junior Teen as well as third runner up in the 2006 Miss Kansas Teen USA pageant.
"When I finished my last Teen USA pageant, I thought I was done with pageants," Prosser said. "I'm kind of glad I changed my mind."
Local judge Debbie Breuer said that the evening was full of talent, but Prosser was definitely the hands-down winner.
"I think she was very well-rounded and comfortable with all aspects of the pageant," she said. "She just stood out. She's a pretty remarkable young lady."
Prosser, along with the other top scorer at the pageant, Lindsay Hoover, who was crowned Miss Wooded Hills, will go on to compete in the Miss Kansas pageant June 9 at Pratt Community College in Pratt. The winner of the Miss Kansas pageant will receive a $5,000 scholarship and the chance to compete in the Miss America pageant. The Miss America Organization is the largest provider of scholarships for women in the world.
Preparations for the Miss Kansas pageant already have begun, Prosser said. She and her mother headed out Sunday to Crown Chic, formerly Evening Extraordinaire, a local boutique that specializes in pageant wear, to purchase a swimsuit and look for other possible wardrobe options for the talent competition.
Prosser said she also would be focusing on her talent -- singing. While she may stick to the selection she performed at the local level, "Anyway," by Martina McBride, for the state competition she may choose another song that has a more traditional country sound, such as a piece by Patsy Cline.
But, the most preparation time, she said, will be spent on the business aspect of the competition. Contestants are required to create an entire book as a sort of business declaration that demonstrates how they would handle the job of Miss Kansas.
"There's a lot of work that goes into it because it really is a job," Prosser said. "I'll be speaking at a few events before June, so hopefully that will make the book more thorough."
The new local titleholders will make their first appearance at the St. Patrick's Day parade, Saturday, March 17, in Tonganoxie, said Elizabeth Jump, director of the local pageant. Jump said she hoped to allow the women to improve their speaking skills by visiting local chambers of commerce, Kiwanis' and Lions' Clubs as well.
Hosted by Jump's daughter, Sarah Jump, a 2001 graduate of Basehor-Linwood High School and past Miss Kansas contestant, and Joel Nichols from the KMBC-9 News Team, the first ever Miss Leavenworth Scholarship Pageant was open to women from across the state of Kansas. However, Elizabeth Jump said she hopes introducing the new titleholders to the community will promote awareness of the pageant and attract more local contestants and a larger audience.
"It ran really smoothly," Jump said about the first local pageant. "I got lots of good comments. We didn't have a very good turnout; 50 or 60 people maybe. Obviously I'd like that to be 100 or 200, but we'll get there."
The Jumps only had about three weeks to put the pageant together and both Prosser and Breuer commended them for their efforts. Elizabeth Jump said they will have a year to prepare for next year's pageant and hope the extra time will allow them to publicize it more and bring in more local contestants and audience members.
"It's not just about beauty," she said. "These girls are very talented and have a lot to contribute to society. They are going to be leaders someday."
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
A Tonganoxie native proved to be the brightest star Saturday night at the first-ever Miss Leavenworth County Scholarship pageant.
Paula Prosser was a name the audience knew well by the end of the competition as she was awarded the top score for the interview, evening gown and swimsuit portions, as well as the People's Choice award. She was then crowned Miss Leavenworth County 2007.
"It was a little embarrassing," Prosser said about winning the majority of the awards at the pageant at Basehor-Linwood High School. "I was surrounded by all these great girls and I thought I hadn't prepared enough. It's always very exciting to be acknowledged for your work."
The 2006 Tonganoxie High School graduate is a freshman at Kansas University and is majoring in music therapy. She became involved in the pageant world at a young age and was a former Miss Kansas Junior Teen as well as third runner up in the 2006 Miss Kansas Teen USA pageant.
"When I finished my last Teen USA pageant, I thought I was done with pageants," Prosser said. "I'm kind of glad I changed my mind."
Local judge Debbie Breuer said that the evening was full of talent, but Prosser was definitely the hands-down winner.
"I think she was very well-rounded and comfortable with all aspects of the pageant," she said. "She just stood out. She's a pretty remarkable young lady."
Prosser, along with the other top scorer at the pageant, Lindsay Hoover, who was crowned Miss Wooded Hills, will go on to compete in the Miss Kansas pageant June 9 at Pratt Community College in Pratt. The winner of the Miss Kansas pageant will receive a $5,000 scholarship and the chance to compete in the Miss America pageant. The Miss America Organization is the largest provider of scholarships for women in the world.
Preparations for the Miss Kansas pageant already have begun, Prosser said. She and her mother headed out Sunday to Crown Chic, formerly Evening Extraordinaire, a local boutique that specializes in pageant wear, to purchase a swimsuit and look for other possible wardrobe options for the talent competition.
Prosser said she also would be focusing on her talent -- singing. While she may stick to the selection she performed at the local level, "Anyway," by Martina McBride, for the state competition she may choose another song that has a more traditional country sound, such as a piece by Patsy Cline.
But, the most preparation time, she said, will be spent on the business aspect of the competition. Contestants are required to create an entire book as a sort of business declaration that demonstrates how they would handle the job of Miss Kansas.
"There's a lot of work that goes into it because it really is a job," Prosser said. "I'll be speaking at a few events before June, so hopefully that will make the book more thorough."
The new local titleholders will make their first appearance at the St. Patrick's Day parade, Saturday, March 17, in Tonganoxie, said Elizabeth Jump, director of the local pageant. Jump said she hoped to allow the women to improve their speaking skills by visiting local chambers of commerce, Kiwanis' and Lions' Clubs as well.
Hosted by Jump's daughter, Sarah Jump, a 2001 graduate of Basehor-Linwood High School and past Miss Kansas contestant, and Joel Nichols from the KMBC-9 News Team, the first ever Miss Leavenworth Scholarship Pageant was open to women from across the state of Kansas. However, Elizabeth Jump said she hopes introducing the new titleholders to the community will promote awareness of the pageant and attract more local contestants and a larger audience.
"It ran really smoothly," Jump said about the first local pageant. "I got lots of good comments. We didn't have a very good turnout; 50 or 60 people maybe. Obviously I'd like that to be 100 or 200, but we'll get there."
The Jumps only had about three weeks to put the pageant together and both Prosser and Breuer commended them for their efforts. Elizabeth Jump said they will have a year to prepare for next year's pageant and hope the extra time will allow them to publicize it more and bring in more local contestants and audience members.
"It's not just about beauty," she said. "These girls are very talented and have a lot to contribute to society. They are going to be leaders someday."