Kecoughtan High School - Tomahawk Yearbook (Hampton, VA)

Page 32 text:

Old traditions can take new twists. Such was the case of the 1978 Miss KHS Pageant. Sponsored by the Senior Class, the pageant incorporated innovations. With twenty-eight girls in the competition, the number of contestants almost doubled that of previous pageants. Due to this outstanding interest, the talent competition was divided into two nights — the preliminary talent night and the final pageant night. On the preliminary night, ten finalists were selected by judges to perform for the pageant. The split to two nights was not the only change that found its way into the structure of the Miss KHS Pageant. Another novel approach was the incorporation of a question and answer segment. The ten finalists were judged on personal responses to questions. This gave the judges an opportunity to evaluate the girls ' ability to reason and respond spontaneously. Also new to the traditional pageant was the almost total student organization of the show. Coordinated by seniors Jane Kilgore and Jane Kennedy, both former Miss KHS contestants, the pageant was emceed by senior Randy Ware. Students also formed the entertainment portion of the show; senior Kim Taylor performed her rendition of Rhoda from The Bad Seed and Tyrone Burrell presented his original film, The Wonderful World of Animation. Filling in the blank spaces were Jimmy Jones and his band Storm Warning. The Miss Gorgeous Green and White Pageant was reinstituted, allowing some of the more questionable beauties a chance to gain recognition, as well as providing a moment of hilarity for the audience. Donovan Wesley, as Lulu Boom-Boom, was crowned the reigning Miss Gorgeous Green and White in the mini-pageant emceed by Scott Snyder. The comical air of the bogus beauty pageant was replaced by the tense atmosphere surrounding the announcement of the new Miss KHS. Senior Shelly Hertach was voted Miss Congeniality by the other Loverly, ain ' t I! A ravishing Brooks Harvey, complete with Shirley Temple curls, models his satin evening gown in the Miss Gorgeous Green and White contest. contestants. Senior Kim Korpak earned the title of third runner-up while junior Linda Duck was the second runner-up. Sophomores received the highest honors — Paige McKinley earned double honors when she was named talent winner for her original song One Way Love and first runner-up. The evening climaxed with the crowning of sophomore Shelly Blackstone as Miss KHS 1978. Perhaps giving new form to old traditions leads to breaking records. Financially, the 1978 Miss KHS Pageant did break records. The pageant netted over $800 for the senior class, more than in any previous years. The innovative ideas of both coordinators and contestants led to large profits for the Class of 78. Looking for their cue, Alan Leybold and Guy Cantonwine prepare to play music during a lull in the show. 28 SPECIAL EVENTS

Page 31 text:

Polygluttons Throwing a menacing smile toward the photographer, Cindy Whited takes a break from eating to strike a pose for the camera. Rolaids spells relief in any language. Bill Browning cringes as the Spanish sausage he ate begins to do the Flaming Sword Dance in his stomach. Question: What has 100 feet, speaks three foreign languages, and feeds almost exclusively on French, German and Spanish dishes? Answer: A gathering of language club members for the annual Foreign Languages Banquet. Held on March 16, the two hour celebration united French, German and Spanish club members for an evening of cultural exchange and exhibition. Following the welcoming speeches given by Mrs. Judith Williamson, the head of Kecoughtan ' s Language Department, and Mr. William Steele, the supervisor of the Hampton City Schools ' foreign language program, club members sampled foods native to the three cultures: Paella from Spain; Quiche Lorraine from France; and Wienerschnitzel from Germany. After the feasting, the entertainment began. The French Club started the program with a French sing-a-long. Then the Spanish Club held a variety show which included a performance by the Spanish Club Comedian, alias Dennis O ' Connor. The German Club finished the program with a series of German dances performed with the help of the audience. With the end of the last German dance, the foreigners cleaned up and headed home. All agreed that the evening had been a success and anticipated the next banquet. They ' re not so bad if you bite them before they bite you. A visiting German student tries to talk a skeptical Mrs. Mann, a Phoebus Spanish teacher, into sampling her food. SPECIAL EVENTS 27

Page 33 text:

Overcome with the spirit of the moment, the 1978 Miss KHS, Key Club — sponsored beauty and eventual first runner-up, Paige McKinley, models her shelly Blackstone, helps escort Damian Decell replace her complete fashion ensemble in the sportswear competition. banner of Miss KHS. Gymnast Kim Korpak exhibits amazing versatility in the talent competition. SPECIAL EVENTS 29