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Distinguished Young Women competition set for Friday

May 30, 2012|By Rachel Parsons Gilliam | The Winchester Sun

One year after debuting in Clark County with its new name, the Distinguished Young Women program, formerly known as Junior Miss, will debut a few more changes this Friday.

For more than 10 years, the program has been staged in August, but committee chairwoman Donna Fuller said the program will be in June this year to help students focus on the competition without school and extracurricular activities. The program will feature a new emcee, Clark County Attorney Brian Thomas, who has performed in the program in previous years. He will replace long-time emcee JoEllen Reed.

“The one thing that remains is our dedication to this program and these girls to make this experience for each young lady an enjoyable one,” Fuller wrote in a letter to the Sun.

The goal, Fuller said, is still to teach young women to be confident, and learn to always give their best.

“No matter the outcome, life will go on for these young ladies. What’s important is that they will hopefully walk away smiling and feeling confident because they succeeded in doing their best,” Fuller wrote.

Distinguished Young Women will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, June 1. Tickets will be available at the door beginning at 6 p.m.

In recent years, the Distinguished Young Women program has tried to promote awareness about the academic component of the competition through changes to the program format. Scoring will remain the same, with scholastics accounting for 20 percent of the total score. An independent panel of educators reviews grades, test scores and college entrance exams to determine a contestant’s scholastic score.

Interview is 25 percent of the score, meaning more than half a contestant’s total score is determined before the program actually begins.

“The program stresses the importance of being morally responsible and living a healthy and successful life, and promotes education and community service,” Fuller wrote.

Since its inception in 1957 in Mobile, Ala., the Distinguished Young Women program has provided high school seniors with more than $83 million in cash scholarships, according to the event program.

This year’s theme in Clark County is “Footloose.” The winner will represent Clark County at the state level in January.

Ragan Clark, 2011 winner, also will participate in the program.

Local participants are:

— Sarah Banks, daughter of Auide and Susan Banks;
— Eden Bennett, daughter of Edwin and Sherry Bennett;
— Kayla Caines, daughter of Timothy and Christy Caines;
— Peri Drury, daughter of Ricky Drury and the late Nancy Drury;
— Joanna Guerrant, daughter of Wallace Jr. and Nancy Guerrant;
— Mallory Flynn, daughter of John and Lindsay Flynn;
— Emily Jackson, daughter of George and Robin Jackson;
— Maria Jackson, daughter of Marty and Jeannie Jackson;
— Kierra Jones, daughter of Darren Price and Whitney Jones;
— Addison Lowry, daughter of Kenneth and Rebecca Lowry;
— Allison Ratliff, daughter of Keith and Lynn Ratliff;
— Catherine Steele, daughter of Jeffrey and Charlotte Steele;
— Haley Tye, daughter of William and Terri Tye; and
— Hannah Washing, daughter of Steven and Esther Washing.

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