St. Michael’s raises funds with pageant
It’s one of the country’s newest high schools and even though election fever makes it easy to beg for handouts, the faculty and students of St. Michael’s College are determined to improve their learning environment through their own efforts. Jacqueline Woods has the story.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
The St. Michael’s Pageant is the high school’s first fund raising drive by staff and students to get some much-needed equipment for their new classrooms.
Jamie Chanona, Teacher, St. Michael’s College
“When we open this new school building behind, us some of the furniture was not enough because of the large amount of students that we have here at St. Michael’s. We took in over a hundred first formers alone and most of this building, the downstairs is properly equipped, but upstairs most of the classrooms do not have enough desks and chairs and it provides for overcrowding and a lot of our furniture end up being damaged. So this pageant is an attempt for us to help ourselves to purchase new furniture for the upstairs rooms as well as equip our lab. We have home economics, we have clothing and textile, we have our science labs, which are in need of some very vital equipment for us to help best equip these students when they graduate from St. Michael’s.”
The contestants are Shawnee Andrews, Emily Ovado, Diana Crawford, Marleen Holand, Shamieka Soberanis, Kimberly Staine, Julia Hinds and Silvia Gray. The young ladies have been rehearsing for the past two months.
Josephine Flowers, Pageant Coordinator
“We are looking at our pageant, not as a beauty pageant, but actually one where the girls could express themselves. In one of the segments, they are going to express themselves showing their talent and then we are also doing a career dress, or a career wear where they are going to explain to the audience why they have chosen such a career. So the majority of it will be based on their answers and how well they present themselves, not on they look.”
Teacher Jamie Chanona says she has been impressed with the interest shown not only by the students, but their parents as well.
Jamie Chanona
“We’ve seen a lot of support that we didn’t really expect. A lot of our student’s parents, family and friends have come out to help us. As well, each student is responsible to sell a ticket for the pageant and a lot of our students have already come back and are asking for more. So we’ve seen a lot of support coming from way before the pageant. And hopefully tomorrow night they all show up and get to see these beautiful girls represent the school and as well help out their fellow classmates by giving them some furniture.”
The St. Michael’s Pageant gets underway at the Holy Redeemer Parish Hall from 7:30 on Friday night. Jacqueline Woods for News Five.
Tickets are available for five dollars from the students, the college, and at the door.
