There were lights, no cameras, a lot of cheering and incredible talents.
The Kappa Delta sorority hosted the Miss Longwood with junior Aubrey Duignam and sophomore Amanda Varnes MCing it.
The money donated and raised will go towards their local philanthropy, Madeline’s House. They also have other philanthropies including Girl Scouts of USA, Children’s Hospital, Prevent Child Abuse of America and Orthopedic research.
The cheers of the crowd can be heard all throughout Jarman Auditorium as nine ladies competed against one another in the 11th annual Miss Longwood Pageant on Wednesday, April 1.
Duignam, who organized the event, along with her assistant Shamrock chair said the event takes almost a year to plan.
“We plan at the beginning of the school year and then two months into the spring semester we start organizing it,” said Duignam. “We don’t have committee’s, but with the help of my assistant and the help of my sisters, it came together nicely.”
The nine ladies that competed were first-year students to seniors and are a part of various sororities and organizations across campus that include:
|
CONTESTANTS |
ORGANIZATION |
|
Ally Marcus |
Alpha Sigma Alpha |
|
Brianna DeWulf |
Delta Zeta |
|
Abby Snell |
Zeta Tau Alpha |
|
Brittany Smith |
Alpha Delta Pi |
|
Shelby Furman |
Alpha Sigma Tau |
|
Krysta Jewette |
Honor Students Association |
|
Kassidy Webb |
Sigma Kappa |
|
Linae Morton |
Anime Club |
|
Abbie Swanson |
Sigma Sigma Sigma |
Each contestant started out the event by dancing and introducing themselves, which was then divided into different sections, from the talent portion to the question and answer.
Junior Brittany Smith was the first to begin the competition, belting out a remix of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” with her love for Longwood, as well as junior Shelby Furman who sang “Not about Angels.”
Other contestants did a variety of different talents—including finger painting.
Freshman Linae Morton blew the crowd away with finger painting in under five minutes and Junior Abby Snell did a unique hula dance that made the crowd go wild.
Sophomore Ally Marcus did a Taylor Swift mash-up dance with her fellow back up dancers, while Senior DeWulf did a contemporary dance piece to Sia’s “elastic heart.”
Freshman Krysta Jewette played her clarinet while Kassidy Webb danced to “Sweet Home Alabama,” which had her sisters singing and dancing within their seats.
Senior Abbie Swanson performed the song “Blue Hair” from the musical “Black Suits” wearing suspenders, glasses and pigtails.
Throughout the pageant, there were contests regarding the raffles one gets once being admitted. The winner of the contests would be getting your very own “Miss Longwood t-shirt.”
During the question and answer portion, the contestants were asked a variety of questions regarding life, favorite Longwood memory, which person impacted you and advice you would give incoming freshman.
An overall consensus from the contestants stated, “getting involved is the best way to make the best memories and moments at Longwood.”
Snell stated in her response, “Get involved, how you make Longwood your own is what you put yourself into—do everything and anything, but manage your time.”
Once that was over, Duignam and Varnes asked the audience to give change to their favorite contestant for penny wars.
The crowd went crazy and within minutes people were on their way to the front of the stage to drop their donations.
The winner of penny wars was Ally Marcus and, overall, Kappa Delta raised $108.00 in just pennies.
When it came time to decide the winners, the crowd was antsy and could not wait any longer.
Miss Congeniality winner was Linae Morgan who was taken by surprise and she cried tears of joy.
Second runner up was Abbie Swanson with Brittany Smith coming in as first runner up.
The winner of the 2015 Miss Longwood Pageant was Abby Snell who won the crowd with her hula dancing.
Overall, the sisters of Kappa Delta raised a whopping $1,268 in donations that will go towards their philanthropies.
