By Capri Gahr
Student Reporter
Miss Cinderella is an event hosted by Northwestern every year. It sponsors young women who have previously won a pageant at the high school level. Pageants include Miss Cherokee from Cherokee, OK and similar school funded events. These young women are offered a scholarship to NWOSU if they participate and win an event in Miss Cinderella.
Miss Cinderella was originally created to help recruitment and make homecoming more exciting. A panel of prominent men from the community got together in 1952 and decided to create a way to introduce quality young women to Northwestern. They were inspired by an event in Arkansas City, KS called “Ark-a-la-la.”
These individuals were inspired by the parade which featured many different crowned women from surrounding towns.
Originally, no schools opted to participate in the new “queen contest.” Bob Reneau, one of the men who helped create the contest and original coordinator of the pageant, decided to personally call every school in the area to convince them to participate.
Lisa Franz and Dr. Sheila Brintnall now co-direct the pageant. Roark became co-director in 2011 and Brintnall joined just two years later. Fortunately, 11 schools accepted and the first ever Miss Cinderella pageant was created. Originally, the contest was called “queen contest” but was changed in the late ‘50s.
The first ever winner was Bonnie Rauh from Alva. This year’s pageant will be the 67th pageant. Outstanding young women at least 16 years old and high school seniors are eligible to compete for honors and scholarships. Currently, the winner of Miss Cinderella is awarded eight semesters of tuition and a one year room and board waiver. The winners of the talent portion and Miss Congeniality receive a one year room waiver and one year of tuition. Last year, Miss Woodward, Lexi Vanderwork, won the pageant and the talent portion of the contest as well.
Pageantry is changing. Miss America has done away with the swimsuit competition. This means the pageant will now be a competition of talent and knowledge instead of a pageant that judges the women’s bodies.
Allison Zimmerman, instructor of mass communications and who is in charge of the judges, explained why that will not affect Miss Cinderella in any way. She explained how Miss Cinderella is a pageant that does not provide a pathway to Miss Oklahoma or Miss America and therefore does not follow the same regulations as those pageants.
Neither does the pageant include a swimsuit portion anyways. The pageant was formed with intent to feature outstanding women and never focused on looks or physique. The different portions of the even include talent, ball gowns, questions and interviews.
Zimmerman explained her favorite part of the experience and working for the pageant. “I love getting to meet the girls and their parents and learning about who they are,” she said. “It is exciting to learn about the great group of girls competing for the crown.
The talent show will be on Oct. 4, the pageant on Oct. 5and the homecoming parade is on Oct. 6. Nineteen young women will participate this year.