ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
When one thinks of a pageant, thoughts of beauty and fasion may come to mind. However, the Andrews Teen Pageant offers more than 'face' value.
Geared toward teens, the Andrews Teen Pageant is actually part of the Andrews Teen Ambassador Program. Pageant winners will have the opportunity to represent all teens at Andrews at special events around the base.
Currently, seven female and four male contestants are enrolled for the pageant - an increase in interest from last year, said Matrice Adger, 316th Force Support Squadron Youth Center teen director. The Youth Center is looking for teens eager to represent the younger generation of Andrews in a positive manner. Participants must be a military dependent or the dependent of a civilian personnel employee.
"Finding creative, fun, educational activities and programs - especially for teens - can be a challenging task and the Teen Pageant is one of those creative programs that seems to work. The teens have an opportunity to be in the spotlight and share with their community their goals, their talent, their personalities and their dreams," Ms. Adger said.
The contestants will be judged on talent, and in casual, sports, and evening wear, in addition to a question and answer session. The Teen Pageant will also incorporate entertainment highlighting various teens and teen groups from the surrounding area. A local JROTC Honor Guard Team will post the colors and their Saber Team will perform and highlight the evening wear portion.
The pageant will have five judges, including military representatives and two title holders, Miss Destiny Welch, current Miss Maryland Junior Teen, and Miss Kasey Staniszewski, Miss Maryland Teen USA.
"This program helps build self-esteem, uncover unrecognized talent and provides a positive entertainment outlet for the teens and the community," Ms. Adger said. "Teens need encouragement and support in positive endeavors in their lives with so many negative temptations that they confront on a daily basis."
"Through the Teen Ambassador Program, our vision as a Youth Center and an affiliation with the Boys and Girls Club, has always recognized that helping young people achieve academic success is integral to our mission," she said. "When Clubs set high expectations, create learning-rich environments, and work closely with schools and parents, they empower youth to pursue an education. For these reasons, clubs already play a significant role in combating the dropout epidemic."
Ms. Adger said that a recent Boys and Girls Clubs of America survey shows that every 26 seconds a student drops out of high school in the United States.
"We have very alarming statistics and frightening facts taking place today in our society in regards to teens," Ms. Adger said. "The U.S. is the only industrialized country where young people are less likely than their parents to obtain their high school diploma, and one-third of our public high school students do not graduate with their class. For Latino, African American and Native American public high school students, that rate approaches 50 percent."
The Teen Pageant is scheduled for 6 p.m. June 13 at the Reel Time Theater. Admission is $3. For more information, call 301-981-TEEN.