By: Kate Zachary
The Oak Grove High School Beauty Review is an annual fundraiser for the choral department. It is usually held during the month of January, and Mr. Tim Breland and Mr. Demetric Cooley are the chairman and co-chairman of this event. Antony Keeler served as the announcer for both nights.
Beauty Review is a competition where girls are judged based on beauty, stage presence, and formal gown. There were 11 freshman girls, 13 sophomore girls, 16 junior girls, and eight senior girls who competed. After all the girls in each grade are judged, three winners from each grade are chosen; two beauties and one overall Most Beautiful. The two freshman beauties named were Amber Pineda and Mary Taylor Jones. “It was a combination of surprise, excitement, and honor after I found out I had won. I was just so glad to share it with many great girls. That made it extra special,” Olivia Sanguinetti said after she won Most Beautiful for the freshman class. The two sophomore beauties were Andie Arthur and Stephanie Weiss. The sophomore Most Beautiful was Lindsey Carter. The two junior beauties were Shelby Carney and Ryan Henry. Hannah McNeil was named Most Beautiful for the junior class. The two senior beauties were Kayla Purvis and Anne Caroline Lovitt. The senior Most Beautiful was Lauren Carter.
The theme this year was Mardi Gras and the entertainments during intermission were performances by On Your Toes Dance Studio and a solo by Hilary Bounds of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Most of the crew that helped decorate and put out chairs for the function were students from the choir class and members of showchoir.
Junior, Gracie Jackson, competed in Beauty Review for the second time. “I decided to do it again because it was a lot of fun last year, and it’s a great experience. Also, it was a great way for me to practice walking on stage because I am competing in Junior Miss this year,” Jackson said. Many of the girls who competed in Beauty Review spent numerous weeks preparing for it by renting or buying new formal dresses and scheduling hair and makeup appointments for the big night. “I made it easy for my mom by doing my own hair and makeup and I wore a dress that I had
bought a little while ago, but hadn’t ever worn before. It only took me a few days to prepare, and most of my friends that competed did the same as me to prepare, but I know of a few girls who had been getting ready for Beauty Review for almost a month,” Jackson said.
This fundraiser helps the choral department to a vast extent. A little over one hundred people attended the event each night, making for an outstanding profit for the choral department.
