Collegiate and High School FAQs

What differentiates the MHSA/MCA system from other pageant systems?

Young women vying for the title of Miss High School America or Miss Collegiate America are scored on their Evening Gown Presentation, Personal Interview, and Fashion Runway Presentation. Contestants do not participate in swimsuit or talent competitions and only finalists are asked to answer an on stage question.

What are the benefits of entering MHSA or MCA?

In addition to providing contestants with the chance to win a $10,000 college scholarship, a fabulous wardrobe from The Royal We, and various other fantastic prizes, taking part in our pageants provides girls with valuable interview skills, public speaking skills, modeling skills, new friendships and the chance to form memories that will last a lifetime. 

What are the phases of competition and how much is each phase worth?

The MHSA and MCA pageants consist of an Evening Gown Presentation (40%), Personal Interview (40%), and a Fashion Runway Presentation (20%). During the Evening Gown Presentation, contestants are scored on their poise, grace and overall appearance. During the Personal Interviews, contestants will be scored on their maturity, intellect, poise, scholastic ambition, and overall appearance. During the Fashion Runway Presentation, contestants will be scored on their confidence, appearance and personality.

What is "Fashion Runway"?
The Fashion Runway Presentation is an opportunity for contestants to show the judges their unique personalities while modeling an outfit of their own choosing. Though many contestants choose to wear dresses, Fashion Runway outfits may consist of skirts, cute tops, jackets, etc. Be creative!

Will I be judged on my platform or community service activities?

Contestants are not required to have a platform, though titleholders are encouraged to become involved within their communities as volunteers and spokespeople.  

What are the eligibility requirements?

In order to compete in the Miss Collegiate America Pageant, contestants must either reside in or attend college/graduate school in the state which they intend to represent at the national Miss Collegiate America Pageant. Young women who are interested in competing in the national Miss High School America Pageant must be high school students (9^th-12^th grade) at the time of the national pageant. 

Can contestants be married?

No. Contestants must be unmarried, and may not have been married in the past.  

When/Where is the national pageant?

The national competition is held in beautiful San Antonio, Texas. This year’s pageant will take place at the Lila Cochrell Theater on March 7-10, 2012.

Do I need to compete in a local in order to represent my state?

No. Though some states are in the process of integrating local pageants, all state pageants currently accept at-large contestants. To contact your state’s director, please visit http://www.americashighschoolpageant.com/contact.php and enter your contact information. 

If I am crowned Miss Collegiate America, will I need to take time off from school?

No. You will not be forced to take time off from school in order to fulfill your duties as Miss Collegiate America. Shannon Folsom, Miss Collegiate America 2011, will remain enrolled as a full-time student throughout her rein. 

What do the girls do during pageant week?

Pageant week is meant to be a fun experience for both contestants and their families. In addition to rehearsing for the final competition, the girls will tour The Alamo, visit SeaWorld, enjoy a River Walk Boat Tour, hold a PJ Party, attend the Miss High School America and Miss Collegiate America Banquet, and visit several River Walk restaurants. 

I have not been competing in pageants since I was a child, do I still have a chance of becoming Miss Collegiate America or Miss High School America?

Of course! Anyone is capable of doing well in our system, regardless of prior experience.  Confidence, personality, and the ability to be a proud representative of your state and country are the keys to success.  

Am I required to sell ads for the national program book?

Yes. Contestants are required to purchase at least one full-page ad for the national program book. This page may include business advertisements and/or sponsored Good Luck messages from family and friends. 

Am I required to have a sponsor?

No. Contestants are not required to have a sponsor, though they are asked to bring an auction item to be auctioned off during the MHSA and MCA Banquet. These auction items are often donated by businesses from a contestant’s home state.

Pageants and Parades

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY SISTER, ALISON FOLSOM, MISS MAINE’S OUTSTANDING TEEN 2011!! Saturday was certainly an exciting day, beginning with a fabulous parade through downtown Saco and ending with the 75^th annual Miss Maine and Miss Maine’s Outstanding Teen Pageants in Brunswick. 

I was pleased to have the opportunity to take part in Thornton Academy’s Summer Festival, a day-long celebration for the school’s 200 year anniversary. The parade kicked off Saturday’s festivities, beginning in Pepperell Square and continuing to Thornton’s front lawn for the raising of the flag. Taking part in the parade were The Saco Jets, the Thornton Academy band, Thornton cheerleaders, students from Fairfield, Burns and Young Schools, a horse-drawn Oakhurst Dairy cart and several antique cars. I followed the Saco Jets at the front of the lineup and took a few moments to catch up with my former coach and pose with the twirlers before the parade began. I was a Saco Jet myself for seven years and enjoyed my time as a twirler. Unfortunately, I forgot my baton at home on Saturday, so I had to stick to waving rather than twirling.

Thornton Academy is my alma mater and I consider it THE best high school in the State of Maine (There’s no debating with me when it comes to that matter!). I enjoyed my four years there and appreciated all of the academic and extracurricular opportunities I was afforded as a TA student. Taking part in Thornton’s Bicentennial Celebration was a treat! For more information on Thornton’s year-long bicentennial celebration, visit https://www.thorntonacademy.org/bicentennial/. 

Now, on to Saturday night! The evening’s production was exciting and energetic and I enjoyed catching up with several former Miss Maines and Miss Maine’s Outstanding Teens before the show. All of the Miss and Teen contestants did a fabulous job! It was tremendous to see how much many of the girls’ confidence and performing skills have improved over the years. At the end of the evening I was elated to see my younger sister, Alison Folsom, crowned Miss Maine’s Outstanding Teen!! Alison will spend her year supporting Children’s Miracle Network, promoting her personal platform—Help Homeless Animals: Adopt, Donate, Volunteer—and making singing appearances (On the topic of adoption, we currently have three adorable foster kittens at our house that are almost big enough to move into new homes. If you live in Southern or Central Maine and you’re looking for a new kitten friend, please contact me!). In August, Ali will travel to Orlando for the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Pageant. I will be there to cheer her on all week long! MAOT sorority sisters—Let me know if you’ll be there this year as well!

 I’d also like to congratulate our new Miss Maine, Julia Furtado, a 19-year-old UNE student from Dayton, who will represent the State of Maine at the Miss America Pageant in January. Both Alison and Julia have an exciting year to look forward to, and I’m sure they will each do extremely well at their national pageants!

Now, here’s what’s coming up:

ND High School and Collegiate Pageants--July 8-10

FL High School and Collegiate Pageants—July 15

TX High School and Collegiate Pageants—July 15-16

Maine Egg Festival  Pageant (A Maine High and Collegiate Prelim)—July 13^th

P & L Pageant (A Maine High and Collegiate Prelim)—July 16^th

Miss Maine High School and Collegiate Pageant—August 6^th (Visit http://www.breathemaine.org/mmhs/ for more information!)

And have you stopped by the Miss High School America/Miss Collegiate America YouTube Channel? Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/MissHSAmericaBTS

 With The Saco Jets Twirlers, wearing a dress from The Royal We!

 With my friends Lindsey (Miss Connecticut Collegiate 2010) and Chris before Miss Maine America. Wearing another dress from The Royal We!

Photo Cred: Michael Mulligan

  With Alison after the MMOT Pageant!

I Think I'll Stick to Mini Golf

The Meals on Wheels Association of America, which has been in existence since the 1950s, currently provides over one million meals to seniors each day. The largest national organization composed of and representing local, community-based Senior Nutrition Programs, Meals on Wheels reaches individuals in all 50 U.S. states, serving meals at congregate locations and delivering meals directly to seniors’ homes.  Unfortunately, the high price of gas in recent months has made it difficult and costly for volunteers to continue delivering meals to homebound and hungry seniors. On Monday, June 13^th, Spectrum Generations-Muskie Center set out to support Maine seniors by holding its 9^th Annual Meals on Wheels Golf Tournament at the beautiful Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro. The tournament attracted nearly 70 golfers who formed teams of 4, and awards were presented for best overall performance, longest drive, and closest drive to the pin. Also attending the event were several Maine celebrities: Former New York Yankee, Larry Gowell, Formal Football Pro, John Huard, Former Hockey Pro, Danny Bolduc, Maine Governor, Paul LePage, and Olympic Gold Medalist, Seth Westcott. Danny Bolduc manned the 12^th hole with me, measuring the closest drive to the pin. The closest drive of the afternoon landed the ball 5’6” from the pin and was made by a woman (Woohoo!). I have a feeling that my longest drive would have landed about 5’6” away from the tee…The tournament was a huge success, drawing its largest crowd ever, and all of the golfers, “celebrities” and volunteers, including myself, had a fantastic time!

                            Seth Westcott and his team along with Danny Bolduc and I.

                                                                Seth Westcott and Me

Yesterday, I visited the 5210 Let’s Go! Office in Portland, where Deb Landry and I met with Program Managers about the collaboration between the Maine Academic Scholarship Program and Let’s Go! Having already done several appearances and interviews on behalf of the 5210 program, I was extremely excited to participate in a discussion about the details of this collaboration! In addition to continuing my Let’s Go! school tour, I will also be planning story walks, and healthy activities and programs with other girls and boys who are involved in the Maine Academic Program. This collaboration is a fantastic way for us to educate young people about the role that a healthy, active lifestyle plays in academic, extracurricular and career success!

Now, I have something VERY important to address----My sister queen’s 18^th birthday!! Happy birthday to Carina Romero, Miss High School America 2010! 

It’s been a busy couple of days, and things certainly won’t be slowing down this weekend as I will be attending the 75^th Anniversary Miss Maine Scholarship Pageant and Miss Maine’s Outstanding Teen Pageant. My younger sister is vying for the title of Miss Maine’s Outstanding Teen 2011 and I wish her the best of luck! Also competing are Miss Maine High School 2010, Samantha Clark and Miss Teen Maine Academic, Taylor Santos! Good luck to all of the Miss and OT contestants and congratulations to the reigning queens, Arikka Knights and Marybeth Noonan, on a fabulous year.

Until next time!

Shannon Folsom

"Shannon, I really like your hat. It's shiny!"

Congratulations to some of our newly-crowned High School and Collegiate state queens! Miss Kansas High, Callie Hobkirk, Miss California High, Bianca Vierra, and Miss Hawaii High, Angelica Reyes, will be representing their states at the 2012 Miss High School America Pageant! In addition, Miss California Collegiate, Danielle Martin and Miss Hawaii Collegiate, Alyssandra Baniqued will have the opportunity to compete in the 2012 Miss Collegiate America Pageant in San Antonio, TX. It’s going to be an incredible week!

While I’m in a celebratory mood, I’d also like to congratulate my 2008 Outstanding Teen sister, Rachel Foehlinger on her Wednesday night Preliminary Talent win at the Miss Nebraska Pageant and wish another of my OT sisters, Alasyn Zimmerman, the best of luck at the Miss Kansas Pageant this weekend! Go girls!

It’s been another week of crazy, albeit beautiful, weather here in Maine and I had the pleasure of speaking with the K-2 students of Fairfield School in Saco yesterday, who remained focused and engaged in spite of the humid, 95 degree conditions! Fairfield School, my alma mater, has been educating its students about the 5-2-1-0 Let’s Go! Program for several years now. Students are learning about the importance of proper exercise and good nutrition, and had no problem answering my questions about the meaning behind the numbers “5-2-1-0”. It’s so important that children be taught healthy habits at a young age and that educators support and promote proper exercise and nutritional habits. After all, kids spend 30+ hours at school each week and eat one or two of their major meals there each day. The classroom should be a place of nurturing both mind AND body! Yesterday, the students and I engaged in a conversation about our favorite summertime activities, our favorite fruits and vegetables and the importance of getting plenty of rest and properly fueling our bodies. I also shared a few fun activities with them that they can do to keep themselves moving while watching TV. These activities included marching, holding Chair Pose, (miming) skipping rope, and hula hooping. Here’s a link to one 5210 PDF which lists some other quick activity break ideas: Quick Physical Activity Breaks I’ll also share a PDF which lists some ‘Go Foods’, ‘Slow Foods’ and ‘Whoa Foods’: Go Foods Slow Foods Whoa Foods

At the end of the presentation, I sang for the students. My point: Each and every one of us has a passion, and whether it is singing, acting, playing an instrument, or participating in sports, we must keep our bodies and minds healthy in order to perform well. A huge thank-you to Fairfield for allowing me to come in and share my message with the students! Below are a few pictures. 

 

Let's Go!

Well, it’s been another busy week! On Thursday, I had the opportunity to speak to Debbie and Alison, the hosts of Mind Your Own Business Radio, about both the 5210 Let’s Go! Program and the Miss Collegiate America Pageant (Thank you Deb and Alison!). Let’s Go!  is a community-based initiative that promotes healthy lifestyle choices for children, youth and families in Southern Maine Communities. The numbers that accompany the “Let’s Go!” title signify the consumption of 5 or more fruits and veggies each day, 2 hours or less of recreational screen time 1 or more hours of physical activity, and 0 sugary drinks (along with more water and low fat milk). Children, parents, schools, health care providers, and community leaders can find useful information on the Let’s Go! Website, www.letsgo.org, including initiative guidelines, healthy recipes, upcoming events, activity suggestions, links to various websites, and the Get Up and Go Guide, which is designed to help Southern Maine residents locate physical activity and nutrition resources available for youth in their area. Check it out! Also check out the new USDA website, http://www.choosemyplate.gov/, where the new food guide was unveiled today.  Choose My Plate replaces the My Pyramid website which was unveiled along with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines. The revised 2005 food guide pyramid received quite a bit of criticism, but it is hoped that the MyPlate design will serve as a simpler, more recognizable symbol of healthy eating. The new dietary icon suggests filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, eating more whole grains, drinking water instead of sugary drinks and fat-free milk instead of whole milk, and avoiding oversized portions. This new symbol will probably be introduced to children in their school health curricula soon!

               

Monday, Memorial Day, was a day of honoring and commemorating the service of veterans across the United States. I was pleased to participate in the Portland Memorial Day Parade, and was thrilled to see the number of people who lined the streets to give thanks to fallen members of the U.S Military and express their patriotism, American flags in hand! Joining me in the parade were Miss Maine High School, Miss Maine Preschool and Miss Maine Elementary. I also had the chance to catch up with some of this year’s Miss Maine America contestants, who participated in the parade along with Maine’s Outstanding Teen. Their 2011 pageant will be held in Brunswick on June 17^th and 18^th. All of the girls have been working hard to prepare for the competition, and I can’t wait to attend! Below is a picture from this year’s Memorial Day parade! (I'm wearing a Karen Millen dress from The Royal We!)

Pageant season is in full swing, and I hope that many girls will be competing in their state High School and Collegiate pageants. Of course, you can visit the national website for information regarding both pageants (The link is provided in my "Pageant Links" section), but I also thought I'd provide a list of state pageant dates!

AL Sept 18
AK Oct 22
AR July 28-30
DE Aug 13
...FL July 15
GA Aug 5
HA May 14
IL Sept 17
ME Aug 6
MD Aug 13
MI Oct 22
MS Aug 5-6
NV Aug 7
NJ Aug 13
ND July 8-10
PA Aug 13
SC Sept 10
TN Aug 6
TX July 15-16
Virgin Islands Nov 13

           

Well, it’s time to watch another psych lecture and maybe squeeze in a quick workout with my sister who, by the way, got her license AND received super SAT scores this week! (Proud older sister)