F orty-one young women from the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes at Gaffney High School will compete in the 2010 Miss Cherokeean pageant Saturday, Feb. 6, at 6:30 p.m. in GHS Auditorium. GHS math teacher Todd Gardner will serve as master of ceremonies.

Themed "Pretty in Pink," the evening will feature music from the 1980s. The contestants will open the competition with a dance to the theme from "Flashdance," choreographed by GHS English teacher Erin Fox.

The 2009 Miss Cherokeean, Haley Stanford, and 2009 Homecoming Queen, Megan Tyler, will be on hand to crown the winners.

Entertainment will feature a guitar/vocal duet by Corey Campbell, a GHS junior, and TuAnh Tran, GHS senior. Beshada McGregor, a GHS senior, will perform a solo dance and Outta Sync, composed of seniors Troy Perry and Dalton Moss and juniors Clay Porter and Hunter McDaniel, will present a comedic dance.

The contestants were selected by votes of their classmates. Each class will have a class beauty and the senior with the highest score will be crowned the 2010 Miss Cherokeean.

Awards to given include the Spirit Award, voted on by the girls in the pageant to honor the contestant with the most dedicated and positive spirit throughout the competition; Academic Award, given to the contestant with the highest GPA for the first semester; and Service Award, given to the contestant with the most impressive community service record (winner chosen by the judges).

Judges come from outside the county and are professionals in the areas of communications, business, academics and performance of some type.

Contestants will be judged in three categories – interview with the judges, casual wear (in this category the contestants will speak to the audience about their feelings or ideas about "What is Real Beauty?") and formal wear.

All tickets will be sold Friday, Feb. 5, from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the GHS auditorium. If all tickets are sold Friday, none will be available at the door the night of the pageant. Those already holding tickets will be admitted first before those purchasing tickets at the door. The pageant has sold out for the past four years and it is strongly urged that tickets be purchased Friday. All tickets are general seating and there are no reserved seats. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Proceeds will go to fund publications of the yearbook, The Cherokeean, and the school newspaper, The Indian Post. Mollie Vassey and Kristie Camp, English teachers at GHS, are the pageant coordinators.

Senior contestants are Cortney Burch, Bianca Foster, Lacey Gardner, Anquasia Johnson, Blythe Lowry, Tia McGill, Makiera Simmons, Abbie Sossamon, Cassie Wallace and Morgan Whisenant.

Junior contestants are Claire Bradley, Zaria Brown, Peyton Byars, Jabria Byers, Jerrica Gaffney, Taylor Lane, Jasmine Smith, Laci Spencer, Kalli Swofford, Shamia Tate and Jeannie Womick.

Sophomore contestants are Caitlin Brown, Bailey Frye, Brooke Gordon, Ashley Hemphill, Markia Montgomery, Madison Norton, Sophia Sedlacek, Danica Sellars, Kayla Sellars and Daira Vassey.

Freshman contestants are Jenna Adams, Scottie Auton, Morgan Ellis, Sydney Ford, Lindsay McDowell, Tymichia McGill, Morgan Parker, Carleigh Ramsey, Rebekah Randolph and Jessica Sellars.