Omar
Temple No. 21 Shriners, Prince Hall Affiliation, held their annual Talent
and Scholarship Pageant on April 5, 2003 were they crowned Miss Jamye
Phoenix, Miss Omar 2003. Jamye is the 18 year old daughter of James
and Deloris Phoenix. She is a senior at Saint Vincent Academy.
The
purpose and benefits of the Talent & Scholarship Pageant are
three-fold. Contestants are able to present their talent to a
captive and appreciative audience in the community and participate for the
honor of representing a Shrine unit from the local level to the
International level. Omar Temple No. 21 Shriners and our auxiliary,
Omar Court No. 91 Daughters of Isis, are able to demonstrate their
commitment to the development of youth. The pageant also allows the public
an opportunity to enjoy, witness and appreciate the talent, intellect and
culture of young ladies from the Coastal Empire.
The
event, emceed by Noble Robert Griffin, Jr., was held before a captive
audience in the Auditorium at Johnson High School in Savannah. Other
winners of the event were:
1st
Runner Up - Leanora Washington. Leanora is the niece of Isaac and Wilma
Waldburg of Savannah. She is the fourth oldest of six and the daughter of
the late Suzette Washington. She is a 2002 graduate of Windsor Forest High
School and is currently attending Savannah Technical College.
2nd
Runner Up - LeJoy Dobson, the daughter of Sandra Dobson. She is a
senior at Beach High School.
Other
contestants were:
Ashley
Broomfield, the daughter of Lynda Broomfield. Ashley is a 2002 graduate of
Beach High School in Savannah. She is currently a freshman at
Savannah State University.
Courtney
Brack, the daughter of Paul and Beulah Brack. She is a senior at Sol C.
Johnson High School.
And
Hang
Pham, the daughter of Dung Pham. Hang is a Senior Sol C. Johnson High
School.
The
events also featured non-competitive performances by Markeyah
Waldburg, Ariele Bowen and Chelce Jenkins. Judges for the
event were WSAV Anchor Kim Gusby, Morning News Account Executive Yolanda
Best, Musician Vernon Connor and Educator Omie Flournoy.
Miss
Phoenix will advance to represent Omar Temple No. 21 during the Shriners
State or Desert Convention on Friday, May 3, 2003 in Macon, Georgia.
The winner of the Desert competition will advance to the international
level and compete for financial values up to $3,000 at the Shriners
Imperial Council Session to be held August 18-21, 2003 in Philadelphia,
Pennsyvania.
