Smiling through it all

They wore matching Kelly green T-shirts, black pants and all-white tennis shoes, and even as they bounced on top of giant round plastic balls or did push-ups in the middle of the stage, they kept smiles on their faces.

They smiled as they jogged around the stage at North Idaho College’s Schuler Auditorium, through high-kicks and sit-ups.

For the 36 high school juniors competing for the title of Idaho’s Junior Miss, the Thursday morning rehearsal was the last chance to prepare for a competition that began last night and continues through Saturday.

As they practiced the fitness routine – one of several areas the young women were scored on – fitness coordinator Angie Fagan helped work out the last-minute kinks.

“OK, girls,” Fagan said. “I want to see it full out. Chins up. Smile.”

Contestants in the scholarship program (organizers stress it’s not a pageant – no sashes or tiaras) are competing for a share of $16,500 in scholarship money.

Scholarships will be awarded to the teen judged as the best scholar, to the four who do the best in an interview with the judges, to first- and second-runners-up and Junior Miss.

Contestants vote for one of their peers to receive the final scholarship – a prize for the girl who most embodies the “Spirit of Junior Miss,” said program co-director Alison McArthur of Post Falls.

“The girls gain public speaking skills,” McArthur said. “They make friendships that last a lifetime … They gain respect and composure.”

State Junior Miss board member Sandi Goodlander said the girls get a chance to meet others from throughout the state, too.

“It makes a profound difference in their lives,” she said. “They see themselves differently after that interaction.”

Post Falls Junior Miss Ilene Thompson said she’s learned there are some differences between North Idaho and the southern part of the state – like that there seems to be more Mormons in Southern Idaho.

“They’re conservative,” said Coeur d’Alene Junior Miss Hannah Yeats.

The teens said preparing for the competition was stressful.

For Lakeland Junior Miss Michelle McCullough, it meant sacrificing sleep even as she staved off illness. Her voice was scratchy Thursday, but fortunately she was playing a trumpet for the talent portion of the competition and not singing.

Eleven of the teens are playing piano for the talent portion, three are doing ballet, three are playing violin and others are performing monologues or playing other instruments. One girl is doing a “Napoleon Dynamite” dance skit.

“And she looks just like Napoleon Dynamite,” Goodlander said.