Southside High School - Southerner Yearbook (Fort Smith, AR)

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by the Eagles and :ay to Heaven were by seniorMark Hut- during the pageant. spreads across the face of second runner-up Donna Worst, sopho- gather around with congratulations as the stress they had endured as she realizes the title she hasjust received. The other contestants ended with the closing of the 1977 Miss Southern Belle Pageant. l Hours ofwork end as Linda Smith, senior, warms up be fore a dance she choreographed to Fasinatin'Rhythm. 0 - most lrl over Weeks went by and the nominations came pouring in from 27 different clubs and organi- zations. Eighty-four girls, the largest number ever, were to vie for the title of Miss Southern Belle, September 24. Mln order to give every girl a chance to par- ticipate, we decided not to have a limit on the number of contestants this yearf' commented Mr. C. Ray Baker, Senior Council sponsor. '4This made things a little bit more hectic and harder to get together-but it was worth it. Under the guidance of Mr. Baker, masters of ceremonies Sarah Griggs, Gina Peoples, Eddie Robben, and Phil Devero, all Senior Council mem- bers, started planning the pageant weeks in adv- ance. Set construction alone took hours of work. After a week of rehearsals, thejudging finally began. The afternoon of pageant day, a formal tea was held in Southside's main hall, during which the five judges mingled with the girls. This was followed by the most important area of judging- the interviews. Because of the large number of girls in the pageant, groups of five contestants were question- ed at a time. This form of interview gave the fcontinued on page 421 41

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Tension shows in senior Leigh Randall 's face as she seeks g reassurance from senior Natalie Odouj before the pageant. Judges of the Southern Belle Pageant, Mrs. Judy Miss Jennifer Jeffries and Mrs. Eileen Krudle, get look at girls. I v Voted Miss Congeniality by the other contestm senior Mary Ann Parish receives the new honor awa, this year. Southern Sensation s Contestants for Miss Southern Belle practice their song, I Feel Pretty, under the direction ofMr. David Hogan. 40 Brushing up on the South- ern Belle platform and props are Frank Sharum, se- nior, and Mike Shaw, junior. Part of the behind the scenes work at the.South- ern Belle Pageant is-done by Barbara Safranek in the light booth. g rl AH, - Y-.L ,h Y ,M ., A Tense moments forjur ior Melinda-Hargrove a she is questzone bfy M1 Ross Pendergraf o Donrey Media, E

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SOUTHERN SENSATIONS fcontinuedj Miss Southern Belle-Lisa Perry judges a chance to evaluate the girls better by comparing them to others in their group. That night, the contestants introduced themselves to a standing room only crowd in Southside's auditorium. The fifth annual Southern Belle Pageant had begun. Before pre- paring for the evening gown competition, the girls entertained the audience by singing 'AI Feel Pretty? This was followed by a modern dance performed by Linda Smith, senior. Clad now in evening gowns, the contes- tants made their final appearance before the announcement of the 12 finalists. A medley of songs performed on guitar by Mark Hut- son, senior, followed. During this time the judges tallied their scores. Amid cries of joy and surprise, the 12 finalists took their places across the stage as they were announced. These girls then took a few minutes to compose themselves for ques- tioning. The Johnny Reb Singers performed at this time. Questions, which were made up by SHS faculty members, were then asked by Mr. Ross Pendergraft, president of Donrey Media, to judge the contestants' poise and ability to respond quickly. This final judging fcontinued on page 431 r Stacy Geren-Firsl R unner-up Donna Worsl-Second Runner-up 1 ongonialit award givcj