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By LIZZIE BOWEN | Staff Writer

PELHAM— It was a night of glitz and glamor as Pelham High School held its annual “Miss PHS” Pageant on Saturday, Feb. 4.

The theme of the pageant was “An Evening in Hollywood” with the stage, set and pageant contestants dressed in an “Old Hollywood” manner.

Current Miss Alabama, Lindsey Gaines Fincher, was present at the event to introduce the pageant contestants as well as Miss Alabama Teen, Hailey Grace Adams.

For the entertainment portion of the night, Melissa Bailey, theatre teacher at PHS, choreographed a dance number called “Hurray for Holiday.” Dancer and choreographer Cece Ferguson performed a number entitled “Wondering,” and vocalist Lydia Kelley sang a piece entitled “Orange Colored Sky” alongside guitarist Grant Guinan.

The ladies were led down the stage by six escorts. All escorts were seniors at PHS. Seth Branham, Kevin Garcia Hernandez, Jackson Germek, Jack Shaw, Nathan Thau and Mikey Ramos all served as escorts for the ladies on pageant night.

Alongside the crowning of Miss PHS, there was also a crowning for the escorts. A “Best Escort” award was given to Kevin Garcia Hernandez.

Garica said that all the contestants in the pageant seemed eager to be in attendance during his acceptance speech.

“I want to say thanks all the contestants,” Garcia said. “They really all love being here.”

After the evening gown walk, contestant number 14, Gabby Talbert was crowned as the 2023 Miss PHS. When asked about her idea of happiness and success Talbert said, “Being able to genuinely be proud of yourself, your decisions and your position in life while still acknowledging room for growth.”

Talbert said her most memorable high school experience at PHS was working out with her softball team.

“Being able to work towards bettering yourself and working alongside other women who want to achieve the same goals is inspiring,” Talbert said. “It sparks an unmatched feeling of unity and strength.”

Talbert said her favorite aspect of Pelham is the diversity. Talbert said she is proud to be a Pelham Panther because of the diversity, curriculum and that Pelham offers many different career clusters, setting students up for success.

“With so many people from a variety of backgrounds, they are still one big family that always hold each other up,” Talbert said.

When asked about the one defining problem that teens find difficult to face today, Talbert said self-worth is one of the biggest issues.

“Especially with the culture of today, I feel like everything is made into a competition,” Talbert said. “I know that’s kind of ironic as I’m in a beauty pageant, but that’s why I love PHS because it’s more than just beauty. It proves that you are more than what you see on stage. It is about who you are and what you’ve been through as a person.”

More information about the Miss PHS Pageant can be found at Pelham City Schools’ official website at Pelhamcityschools.org.