Four local students will be participating in the Miss Alabama Outstanding Teen Scholarship Competition at Thompson High School Performing Arts Center on March 5-6.
39 contestants from across the state will participate in categories that include private interview, physical fitness, evening gown, onstage question and talent and offer an opportunity to earn cash scholarships to go toward college and represent Alabama at the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Competition later this summer.
More than $175,000 in scholarships will be awarded. The winner will represent Alabama at Miss America’s Outstanding Teen in August.
Mary Elizabeth Madden
Mary Elizabeth Madden, a senior at Oak Mountain High School, was recently selected as Miss Historic Springville’s Outstanding Teen.
Mary Elizabeth is an active four-year member of the OMHS Show Choir Singers and is a varsity cheerleader. Her social impact initiative is “Into the Light – Mental Health Awareness” and focuses on problems teens face such as anxiety, depression, ADHD and suicide awareness. She has participated and volunteered with the Alabama Foundation for Suicide Prevention and is hopeful that through education the number of mental health issues can decrease, not increase. Her talent will be vocals and she will be singing "Defying Gravity."
Two other Oak Mountain students are competing: Freshman Belle Casey and 8th grader Grier Feldman, who is Miss Lee County Fair’s Outstanding Teen.
Three Briarwood Christian School students, Emma Walters, Elaina Burt and Hana Vickery will also take part in the event.
Emma Walters
Emma Walters is a junior at Briarwood Christian School where she serves as captain of the varsity dance team, is a BCS Ambassador and a member of Radica Show Choir. She is dual enrolled at Auburn University. She is the current Miss Heart of Dixie Outstanding Teen and is an advocate for skin cancer awareness. Emma has partnered with local dermatologist to provide free skin cancer screens and hosted “Melanoma Monday.” She will perform a classical ballet en pointe to Linda Eder’s “Man of LaMancha “
Elaina Burt
Elaina Burt is a sophomore at Briarwood Christian School. She is captain of the BCS JV cheer team, a BCS track team member and an inductee of the National Honor Society. She is also a Birmingham Dance Theatre Ballet Company member/soloist. Burt is currently the reigning Miss Leeds Area Outstanding Teen and her social impact initiative is "Charlie's Chance: Overcoming Epilepsy Together." For talent, she will performing a ballet en pointe to “Oklahoma.”
Hana Vickery
Hana Vickery is a sophomore at Briarwood Christian School where she is a member of the dance team and show choir. She has taken dane lessons for 14 years and also plays the violin. Her social impact initiative is "Go Further with Fine Arts," which recognizes the need for funding for fine arts in underprivileged schools and working to provide programs to students of schools without addqeuate access to arts education. Her talent will be performing violin to “Memory.”
Ali Mims
Ali Mims is currently the reigning Miss Shelby County’s Outstanding Teen. A freshman at Chelsea High School, Ali is a cheerleader and participates in the women’s choir.
Her social impact initiative is “Joyful Noise.” She uses this program to bring awareness about the lack of music education and music therapy for students with special needs and disabilities. She has raised over $2000 to purchase instruments and take to students at schools who do not have instruments or music education for the special education students. For her talent, Ali will be singing an Italian aria titled “O Mio Babbino Caro.”
The preliminary competitions will be held Saturday, March 5 at 2 and 7 pm with the final competition set for Sunday, March 6th at 2pm at Thompson High School Performing Arts Center.
Individual ticket prices are $25 for each Saturday show and $35 for Sunday. For more information about the competition, visit missalabama.com.
