When Standish resident Sarah Barron was crowned homecoming queen at Bonny Eagle High School last October, she had no idea that a local title would ultimately lead her so far from home.
But on May 28, Barron journeyed to Albany, NY where, in a two-day pageant, she won the Maine state title at a competition held for the New England states.
Part of her prize package as the state winner includes an all-expense paid trip to the national pageant at Disneyland in California. So on July 14, Barron will travel west for six days to compete with winners from the other 49 states for the title of America’s Homecoming Queen.
The road to Disneyland began when, along with her Bonny Eagle tiara, Barron received a pamphlet from America’s Homecoming Queen, Inc., an organization whose purpose, according to their Web site, is “to promote education and community service for high school homecoming queens in all 50 states.”
Barron entered the competition by filling out the form included in that pamphlet and sending it in to the national office where a preliminary judging was held to select finalists to compete for each state’s title.
At the state pageant in Albany, the finalists were judged on both their personal interviews and a prom gown competition. No swimsuit or talent competition was required.
The state winners then compete for the national title. All are guaranteed scholarship money, though the amount is determined by how they place in the national competition. The event will not be televised because, according to Barron, the organization does not want to expose the young women to the pressure of national media or to exploit them in any way.
When selecting a winner and the runners-up in the national competition, the pageant committee reviews the two-minute videos required of each contestant. They are looking for young women “who have shown outstanding leadership ability” as well as community service involvement and extra-curricular participation.
Barron’s community involvement includes her work for the past several summers as a counselor for seventh through ninth graders in the Hollis Recreation Program.
She has also been a cheerleader for four years on the Maine Stars, a Maine and New Hampshire-based national traveling team. The group has traveled all over the United States, including Florida where they won best team in the nationals.
In addition, Barron played softball four years for Bonny Eagle High School. She graduated from the school this spring with Honors.
To prepare for July’s national competition, the pageant committee has provided Barron and the other contestants with a list of possible questions. She has been busy practicing her answers but says, other than that; there is no way to prepare for the big event.
Barron will be a freshman at Saint Joseph College in Standish this fall where she plans to major in communications and broadcasting.
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