Homewood High School hosted the 52nd annual Miss Heritage Pageant on Dec. 7, bringing another evening of dazzling gowns and talent to the auditorium’s stage. This year’s theme was inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby,” fostering a Roaring Twenties vibe for the pageant’s staging.
The pageant goes beyond what the audience sees in the evening portion. Participants take part in interviews with the judges earlier in the day, where the girls can show their personalities. This accounts for 40% of participant scores.
This year, senior Mary Martin Booker was crowned 2025 Miss Heritage. She was overwhelmed with emotions when they announced her name.
“I had a good feeling; I knew I had done my best,” Booker said. “But when they called my name on stage, I just cried. I was so happy. I have always wanted to wear a crown and wear a pretty dress and just feel like a princess.”
The pageant goes beyond what the audience sees in the evening portion. Participants take part in interviews with the judges earlier in the day, where the girls can show their personalities. This accounts for 40% of participant scores.
“They asked me some questions about what I want to be when I grow up,” Booker said. “They also asked me about where I see myself in a year and what I want to involve myself with in the future through college and my career.”
The girls begin the on-stage portion with their outfits of choice and an opening number. The evening gown segment is next. The girls walk the stage while their accomplishments and career aspirations are read aloud. From there, the top five participants from each grade level advance to the on-stage question where they are judged on the quality of their answer and poise.
One of the duties of Miss Heritage is to return to the pageant the next year and ask the top twenty contestants their on-stage questions. Typically, a senior is crowned the winner. However, last year Maddie Tapley won as a junior and was able to crown someone from her own grade as the new Miss Heritage.
“I was so excited to be able to do this,” Tapley said. “I got to be there while they were practicing and I was so excited to get to see them perform. Getting to hug Mary Martin right after she was crowned was truly so special. I was tearing up.”
Tapley has competed in pageants and Miss Heritage since her freshman year. She said Heritage is her favorite event to compete in for a multitude of reasons.
“There is definitely a negative connotation surrounding some pageants and some can be toxic,” Tapley said. “Heritage fosters sharing your ideas, being who you are and being confident in what you believe in. It is easy to feel like yourself in this pageant.”
The pageant has an award for the “Spirit of Heritage,” voted on by the contestants for a fellow participant who embodies the qualities of the pageant and what it means to represent the school. This year, senior Sadie Busbee was chosen. Additionally, “Best Interview” and “People’s Choice” titles are awarded.
“I love how supportive people in the school are of Heritage,” Tapley said. “I have been in pageants outside of the school where that kind of stuff is often forgotten. The fact Homewood makes that such an important part of the pageant to show what kind of a person your peers think you are is a big deal to me. You get to really see what goes on behind stage.”
As part of Heritage fostering an environment where unique personalities are embraced and celebrated, this year pageant director Byron Mosquera introduced a student cheer section so that every pageant participant had someone cheering for them in the audience. He reached out to the peer helper sponsors to get students to volunteer.
Technology specialist and peer helper sponsor Kristen Clark thought it was a great idea to implement the hype section.
“It is about fostering an environment where every contestant felt like they had someone in the audience who was cheering for them,” Clark said. “It takes a lot of courage to step out there on the stage, and it was important to us to make everyone feel like they had a team cheering them on.”
Having designated students to cheer for every contestant provided a safe space and a light-hearted tone to what can be a stressful few minutes on stage.
“When you step out onto the stage and you hear a lot of people cheering for you, it gives you a boost of confidence,” Clark said. “Having the bright light on you prevents you from being able to see the audience, so the cheer section provided some of that audible encouragement.”
Booker was highly appreciative of this addition.
“I think it was a great idea,” Booker said. “It encourages people to come watch and support their fellow students.”
At the end of the day, the Miss Heritage Pageant is about representing the diverse personalities and opportunities that make Homewood special.
“It is a big honor to be able to represent Homewood High School,” Booker said. “We have so many things here that are worth representing and we have so many opportunities to get to reflect the attributes of the Homewood Spirit. It is really special to feel like a representative of those.”
