Friday last day to enter Five Hills Scholarship Pageant

Special to Leader-Press

Friday, March 1, is the final day to enter the Five Hills Scholarship Pageant scheduled for March 23 at the Copperas Cove Civic Center. 
This year, the pageant will award more than $80,000 in scholarships and prizes with contestants receiving prize packages of more than $250 simply for entering. 
The prize packages include zoo tickets, Austin Spurs tickets, certificates to local restaurants, gymnastic, dance, cheer and self-defense lessons, and more. 
Contestants ages nine and older also receive hair styling, make-up services and manicures and pedicures at no cost.
The pageant is directed by community volunteer Wendy Sledd. 
“Every contestant that enters the pageant walks away a winner in many ways,” Sledd said. “The prize package is just one of those. Contestants also develop confidence, poise and grace and develop new friendships. For our contestants ages nine and older, they improve their public speaking skills and also have the tremendous opportunity of draw attention to and educating the public about an important charity of cause about which they are passionate.”
The pageant, formerly known as the Rabbit Fest Pageant, is a Copperas Cove Parks and Recreation activity and is now in its sixth year. Sledd said she is amazed at what the program achieves every year as a result of the hard work of the titleholders and the pageant committee. 
“This past year alone, Ms. Five Hills Ashley Coombs, with the help for former ambassador Edith Natividad, began Copperas Cove’s first multicultural festival which was much needed in our community based on our diverse population,” Sledd said. “Junior Miss Five Hills Dorianna Gilbert was featured in the December issue of Scholastic News Magazine as a young philanthropist and will be featured in the March issue of Highlights Magazine for her community service project that raised money for CCISD students with dyslexia. Dorianna has also been commissioned to write a children’s book and recently landed a permanent role on Nickolodean.”
Preteen Miss Five Hills Briana Liles defeated more than 80,000 other children throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to become the National Lemonade Day Entrepreneur of the Year. Liles hosted her first stand through the pageant to raise money for her community service project.
Senior Ms. Five Hills Robin Spencer raised more than $2,500 to help fund the Copperas Cove Library’s Children’s Summer Reading Program while Young Miss Five Hills Allyssa Kimball raised more than $3,500 for Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful to purchase waste receptacles for a possible future dog park in the city.
Five of the titleholders were named Central Texas Incredible Kids in 2018 with more than a dozen titleholders receiving the honor over the last five years. The titleholders have raised more than $25,000 in cash and supplies for the city animal shelter and purchased sensory playground equipment for the parks and recreation department.
The royalty are required to represent their titles only once a month but have the opportunity to participate in several throughout their year-long reigns. Over the last six years, the titleholders have contributed nearly 30,000 hours of service to the community. 
The cost to enter the pageant is $50. Applications may be accessed through Facebook or http://copperascovetx.gov/parks/five_hills_pageant/.