Everyone Wins at First Annual Greater Chatham Junior Miss

Savannah, Georgia, got a glimpse recently of future civic and business leaders at the First Annual Greater Chatham (County) Junior Miss program, staged to acknowledge outstanding youth in the community for their academic and talent achievements.

Greater Chatham Junior Miss (GCJM) is a scholarship program for high school junior women students from all racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds who attend public and private schools in Savannah and the surrounding counties. The goals are same as Georgia’s Junior Miss and America’s Junior Miss programs – to recognize and reward the most outstanding young women in the community.

The 2010 Chairperson was Sondra Barnes, sister of Eric Barnes who perished in an accident at Imperial Sugar’s refinery near Savannah in early 2008. The company donated $10,000 to sponsor the event in memory of the Savannah sugar refinery associates who were lost or injured in the accident.

Other sponsors included Bahama Joe’s, City of Savannah, and Mickey Rountree Insurance Agency.

There were a dozen 2010 GCJM finalists at the event, held April 3 at the Sol C. Johnson High School in Savannah, along with an audience of about 200 parents, relatives and local dignitaries including Savannah Mayor Otis S. Johnson; Mistress of Ceremony and Former Georgia State Senator/Georgia State Representative Regina Thomas; and George Muller, vice president for administration at Imperial Sugar Company.

Winners were selected from a five-step process that includes scholastics, interview, fitness, talent, and self-expression. The top 2 winners received a $2,500 cash scholarship. Other scholarship prizes included, $1,000 – First Honoree, $750 Second Honoree, $500 – Spirit of Junior Miss, $250 – “Be Your Best Self” essay, 2 Fitness Awards – $250 each, 2 Interview Awards – $250 each, 2 Scholastic awards – $250 each, 2 Self-Expression awards – $250 each and finally 2 Talent awards – $250 each.

Imperial Sugar’s Muller had the honor of presenting a special medallion to each of the two grand prize winners – Catherine Mulligan from the Savannah Arts Academy, whose career goal is to work in fashion design or natural medicine, and Samantha Georgina Schikowski, a student at Sol C. Johnson High School, whose ambition is to pursue a career as a psychologist.

In reality, all the young women were winners. The program laid the foundation for future Greater Chatham County Junior Miss programs.

Photos courtesy of Desmond Duvall – DesmondImages.com.