By By Adrienne McKenzie
Excitement arose from the audience as seventh and eighth graders from Escambia County Middle School strolled into the Mr. and Miss ECMS Pageant in Mardi Gras fashion, throwing beads and candy, celebrating The Night of the King and Queen.
Contestants showed off their casual wear, evening wear and performed their physical fitness routines all in the name of Mardi Gras Friday night.
Pageant director LaShonda Marshall felt the pageant was a success and that the participant's hard work paid off.
"The pageant was awesome," Marshall said. "I enjoyed it the whole time. The participants were very nervous in the beginning but we rehearsed everything. They were ready, very prepared and they did a great job."
The contestants of the Mr. and Miss ECMS Pageant were Lindsey Gray Baggett, Yahaira Casanova, Hannah Marie Hinton, Stacie Trenaye Young, Jessica Edwards, Ann Walton Knox Nichols, Na'Shaquille Antasche' Dale, Dominique Jeta' Knight, Tierra La'Mia Sharp, Roosevelt Leigh Moore Jr., Kenyatta Keon McCants Jr. and Vadal Robinson.
Three judges, Tim Manning, Angela Boatwright and Magaline Marshall, had the difficult decision of who would be the different award recipients.
The female winners were, Most Spirited, Dale and Physical Fitness and Poise and Appearance, Knight. The Top Four females were Dale, Knight, Young and Nichols. The third runner-up was Dale, the second runner-up was Young, the first runner-up was Knight and Miss ECMS was Nichols.
The male winners were, Most Spirited and Poise and Appearance, Moore and Physical Fitness, Robinson. The three male contestants comprised the Top Three. The second runner-up was McCants, the first runner-up was Robinson and Mr. ECMS was Moore.
The contestants were asked to gather sponsors for the pageant. The individuals with the greatest amount of sponsors were awarded a plaque for their hard work. The Top Sponsorship and Advertisement Award recipients were Dale and Moore.
Marshall said money was raised by the efforts of the contestants and that she was amazed at the amount of sponsors gathered. All of the proceeds will go to ECMS students who have succeeded academically. The honor roll students will go on a skating trip and the high achievers on the ARMT/SAT-10 will be taken to Sam's Fun City.
"We gave the contestants a form and it was up to them to go out and get sponsors," Marshall said. "They made phone calls and wrote letters to get sponsorship. They really succeeded for the middle school fundraiser. They worked hard and were very dedicated."
Practicing for the pageant was entertaining for Marshall although the guys were a little wary of participating, she said.
"Practice was so much fun," Marshall said. "I got to know all of the kids and I could see the confidence level of them go up. The guys were very nervous because they didn't know how they would be perceived for being in the pageant. I tried to make it really simple for them. They learned each routine in one day."
The event had excellent entertainment, such as the Expose' Dance and Step teams and the Atmore Elite All-Star groups. Marshall said she was very pleased with the entertainment portion of the pageant.
"I was so proud of the girls," she said. "They did everything they've been taught to do. I was so satisfied with their participation and performance. It takes hard work."
ECMS principal Zickeyous Byrd also felt as if the participants did a great job and that they were all winners.
"It is a wonderful honor and privilege to stand in the midst of these contestants," Byrd said. "All of these young men and women are winners. They have done a fantastic job."
Marshall said that if she is asked to host the pageant next year she will be honored.
"This is the second year we've done the pageant," Marshall said. "Last year I did all the choreography and this year I did everything. I had a lot of help though. If he (Byrd) asks me to do it again next year I'd love to."