Kidsday: I was in a beauty pageant

I was in a beauty contest. I think every little girl dreams of being in a beauty pageant. My dream came true on April 17, 2011. The pageant was sponsored by America Beauty Pageants and was held at the York College Performing Arts Center in Jamaica.

The pageant required that I be interviewed by three pageant judges and answer a series of questions. Upon being approved and selected to participate in the regional pageant, I was required to wear several casual outfits and a formal evening gown.

I enjoyed participating in the beauty pageant. The experience of being onstage in front of the judges was exciting. I also enjoyed meeting new friends who had the same dreams and interest that I had. I also enjoyed having my own dressing room backstage and liked dressing up for the pageant.

Among the things I did not like about the beauty pageant were the long hours of rehearsals. Also, I didn't like the pressure and stress to be perfect for the judges. The waiting between each segment of the pageant was boring at times.

The pageant sponsors awarded several trophies for categories like Miss Photogenic and Miss Congeniality. The winners received cash and a trip to Orlando to compete in a national pageant.

I would recommend the experience of being in a beauty pageant to girls. The chance to meet different people from different parts of the state and city was fun.

The pageant helped build my confidence onstage and ability to perform in front of a large audience. It also helped me build my own self-esteem. But most importantly it gave me a chance to live out the dream of being in a beauty pageant and dressing up just like a princess.

I want to enter more contests

Book review: 'Number the Stars'

Our class read a book called "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry. It is a story about friendship during World War II. The setting is Denmark. Annemarie and Ellen are best friends. Ellen is Jewish, and Annemarie is not. Annemarie and her family decide to risk their lives to hide Ellen and her family to save them from the Nazis. The story has a lot of action and suspense which made us just want to keep reading. We did not know much about the Holocaust, so we learned a lot. We really enjoyed reading this book, and we think other boys and girls will, too.

--Kidsday Reporter Josephine Arana

CLASS OF THE WEEK: Therese O'Loughlin's fourth-grade class, MICHAEL F. STOKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, Island Trees