Stephanie Watkins, a 7th grader at Grice Middle School, and Noelle Whittaker, a 7th grader at Reynolds Middle School, competed in the National American Miss Pageant on August 15 and 16, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick.
Representing Hamilton,Watkins and Whittaker competed along with 128 other girls ages 10 to 12 for the title of Miss New Jersey Pre-Teen. Contestants were scored in four different areas of competition including Formal Wear, Interview, Personal Introduction and Community Service Project. Both girls held car wash fundraisers at Texas Roadhouse prior to competing.
Watkins was a Top Overall Finalist in the 2015 National American Miss New Jersey State Pre-Teen Pageant, finishing in the Top 25.
National American Miss also gives girls the opportunity to compete in Optional Contests over pageant weekend. Watkins and Whittaker both competed in the Talent Competition. Watkins, a dancer and member of the Jr/Sr Competition Team at Simone Dance Studio, performed a jazz dance to “Hit Me With A Hot Note” and she was awarded 1st runner up. Watkins was also the 3rd runner up in Casual Modeling, another Optional National American Miss contest.
Whittaker, a dancer and member of the competition team at All That Jazz dance studio, performed a jazz dance to “Shake It Off” and took 2nd runner up in the Talent Competition.
Both contestants earned a Golden Ticket to Hollywood, which is an official invitation to compete at the National American Miss National Pageant in Hollywood, CA. Held during Thanksgiving week, this pageant will be a celebration of the best of the best from all across the country. Representing Hamilton, Watkins and Whittaker will compete and have a VIP Day in Disneyland, tour through the famous streets of Hollywood, enjoy a spectacular Thanksgiving Banquet, and have the chance to win a brand new Ford Mustang Convertible.
