So did you hear about that high school beauty contest fiasco in Atlanta

[Todd-'o'-Vision]

Aparently there was the beauty contest, one girl was given the miss beauty award.

aparently there was some controversy with the vote count so it was recounted.

it was found that the girl didn't win after all and that the number two was really the winner, so the school took the title from the girl who was given it by mistake.

a sad story no, let me finish then.

the parents of the girl who was given the title by mistake is suing the school for discrimination and unfairness.

In the local paper and media the mistaken girl cryed "why can't i keep something I earned?" but she didn't earn it she was given it by mistake, and once found out it was taken from her and given to the correct winner.

This is where you come in, whats your opinion should the mistaken winner be given back her erroneous earned title, or the girl who was the real winner get to retain the title she now holds.

 

[modest mouse]

I think anyone wrapped up in a 'Miss Beauty' award is going to be a loser either way.

Her parents are teaching her to be a whining maggot, so reap what ya sow.

 

[Chuckwrox]

Here's a conundrum: If she really deserved the title she'd have some class, hold her head high, and congradulate the other winner.

 

[HeavyStick]

Call the wambulance.

 

[Thrillhouse]

It sounds like she's learned a valuable lesson:

Sometimes people fuck up over minor things. Deal with it and move on.

However, the lawsuit tells me she (and her parents) haven't learned it. Oh well.

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

Whining, complaining, loser!!

What the hell did she earn? She worked really hard on her mascara?? I say shoot the silly little cunt before she breeds!

 

[A Desert Rose]

Aparently there was the beauty contest, one girl was given the miss beauty award.

aparently there was some controversy with the vote count so it was recounted.

it was found that the girl didn't win after all and that the number two was really the winner, so the school took the title from the girl who was given it by mistake.

a sad story no, let me finish then.

the parents of the girl who was given the title by mistake is suing the school for discrimination and unfairness.

In the local paper and media the mistaken girl cryed "why can't i keep something I earned?" but she didn't earn it she was given it by mistake, and once found out it was taken from her and given to the correct winner.

This is where you come in, whats your opinion should the mistaken winner be given back her erroneous earned title, or the girl who was the real winner get to retain the title she now holds.

I directed beauty pageants for 5 years. Our policy was that there was NO recount. The original vote stood and the tallys were destroyed immediately. The scenario you describe above was the exact reason for that policy.

 

[Chuckwrox]

Re: Re: So did you hear about that high school beauty contest fiasco in Atlanta

I directed beauty pageants for 5 years. Our policy was that there was NO recount. The original vote stood and the tallys were destroyed immediately. The scenario you describe above was the exact reason for that policy.

Smart!

 

[A Desert Rose]

We hired an accountant from out of the area and therefore impartial and above question, to tally the votes and the sheets were then shredded.

 

[Ishmael]

I think anyone wrapped up in a 'Miss Beauty' award is going to be a loser either way.

Her parents are teaching her to be a whining maggot, so reap what ya sow.

What he said.

Ishmael

 

[modest mouse]

Re: Re: So did you hear about that high school beauty contest fiasco in Atlanta

I directed beauty pageants for 5 years. Our policy was that there was NO recount. The original vote stood and the tallys were destroyed immediately. The scenario you describe above was the exact reason for that policy.

Wow.

Rather than get it right you destroy the evidence every time. Interesting priority, but its a beauty pageant.

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

You know what? Stupid shallow little girls and there equally vapid parents absolutely disgust me! Why is some stupid pagent so important to anyone? Why are young women being taught to validate themselves based on their looks?

 

[alexandraaah]

You know what? Stupid shallow little girls and there equally vapid parents absolutely disgust me! Why is some stupid pagent so important to anyone? Why are young women being taught to validate themselves based on their looks?

Good point.

Might I add, Todd O, I don't know if it's the sex, but your typos have gone down CONSIDERABLY.

Yay!

See, people should feel validated for their typing abilities!

 

[Ham Murabi]

This story would have a happy ending if they held the pageant in Nigeria.

 

[Rubyfruit]

Totally off topic.

Rose and Ham, are you guys going to celebrate on the strip or downtown tonight?

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

See, people should feel validated for their typing abilities! [/B]

I should probably be beaten for typing 'there', when I meant 'their', right? Ugh, all the beer goes straight to my fingers.

 

[Ham Murabi]

Totally off topic.

Rose and Ham, are you guys going to celebrate on the strip or downtown tonight?

It's amateur night, Ruby, with way too many people out there — and more than a few acting (and driving) crazy.
I'm partying with plenty of friends at a neighbor's house down the street.

 

[Ham Murabi]

Again off topic.
Ruby, what are your plans? Is a wild night in the offing?
Maybe if I work up the nerve I'll PM Rose and see if she's not busy tonight.

 

[Rubyfruit]

I know what you mean about the crowds, Ham. The last time I spent New Year's eve on the strip, I vowed it would be the last.

I actually think I might brave the crowds here downtown in your neighbor city to the north. I don't think it'll be nearly as crowded as there.

I think PMing Rose is an excellent idea!

Happy New Year!

 

[InnocentAngel81]

i seen a story about that on the news, the parents want to sue the girl if she doesnt turn the crown over

 

[morninggirl5]

Call me oblivious, i missed this on the news and i live in Atlanta. (I also missed the news story about the rapist in my community, but that's another thread.)

The only High School Beauty Contest i can think of would be Homecoming Queen and they are usually elected, either by the full student body or the football team. So maybe she really does think she earned the title, she probably "campaigned" for the title pretty hard.

 

[christophe]

kinda reminds me of the last presidential election

 

[Todd-'o'-Vision]

here the link and story

http://www.savannahnow.com/stories/122702/LOCBEACHQUEEN.shtml


Falsely crowned

Miss Beach pageant turns into a nightmare for contestants and school officials.

By Jennifer Smith Richards
912.652.0357
jsmith@savannahnow.com

The audience held its breath as the principal made the announcement: who would receive one of the most coveted titles in the Beach High School community.

Still with anticipation, their formal dresses glittering and lips glossed, the 12 contestants waited. Ashley Bryant, one of the 12, held her breath, too.

As her name was announced, she could not believe it. Crowned Miss Beach. The moment was captured forever in her mind.

But just for one night; Ashley was falsely crowned.

Now that Dec. 12 night is tarnished. Her title has been stripped and awarded to another that pageant organizers -- and Principal Roy Davenport -- say is the true Miss Beach 2002.

Ashley, brokenhearted, hurt and confused, is seeking answers and her family is seeking legal advice.

The school -- abuzz with accusations of pageant fixing -- is now a difficult place for her. Stress sent her home sick twice since the pageant.

Still, Ashley refuses to give up her crown.

One magical night

It's just a pageant.

"Those who say that aren't contestants. They don't know -- you put so much of yourself in this," says Kimberly Allen, the first runner-up.

It's a Beach tradition that goes back 30 years or more. And it tops any other event -- even prom queen only garners glory for a night. Other Chatham high schools have pageants, as well.

But Miss Beach is the product of a month's worth of daily work, and a lot of money -- $100 just to participate, not including clothing, hair and nails.

It's about winning, becoming Miss Beach and gaining a $250 book scholarship to Savannah State University.

And it's not just thrown-together. It's professional looking and painstakingly choreographed. Some contestants even get advice and encouragement from past winners.

"We call it Miss America," Kimberly says.

There are dance routines, modeling skits, formal wear competitions, talent segments and impromptu questions. For the standing-room only audience, it is well worth the $3 admission price.

And nine judges are prepared for one heck of an event.

This year's panel included two judges each from Georgia Southern University and Savannah State. Plus, there were two juvenile justice workers, two employees from other districts, and celebrity judge, Magic Marc.

On competition night, the judges marked scorecards then retired to a separate room to tally the points -- a job conducted by two school employees who were the event coordinators.

They returned in minutes with the winners.

"There was some discussion at that time," recalls Davenport. "Some of the judges said, 'Are you sure?' "

So the coordinators reviewed the numbers, then handed Davenport the final tally.

He stepped onto the stage. Flowers were handed out, the girls continued to smile, and trophies and crowns were awarded.

It was only afterward that some judges' misgivings were made public.

As she was walking out the door, a judge grabbed contestant Kiona West's arm and told her the wrong person had been crowned.

Righting wrongs

The next day brought confusion and whisperings to school hallways.

Davenport realized there was a problem.

The judges' ballots were locked in a vault and he decided on a recount for that Monday.

He called on the math department chair and an assistant principal.

"I turned the (tally) box over to them, and I never opened the box. I told them to use red ink," he recalls.

Sequestered for an hour and a half, they emerged with unsettling news: Ashley Bryant did not win. Courtney Middleton, a contestant who didn't place, did.

The re-count found Courtney's score had been transposed. Instead of 1,330 points, it was recorded as 1,303.

Another number, which put Ashley ahead, also was recorded incorrectly.

"It was wrong. Grossly wrong. I'm not talking one or two points," Davenport says.

Two other independent counters were brought in and re-tallied the judges' marks, this time with blue ink.

They verified the findings: Courtney was Miss Beach. Ashley did not place. First and second-runners up stayed the same.

A meeting was set.

"We have crowned the wrong Miss Beach," Davenport told the parents.

Ashley and her parents didn't attend, having met at the school earlier that day. Ashley's mother, Renee Bryant, still can't believe such a heinous mistake could've been made.

Davenport, meanwhile, wants to dispel rumors of malicious wrongdoing.

"I contacted the judges, and confirmed that no one had tampered with the scores. It solidified my two recounts," he says.

Another meeting was set for Dec. 18 and Ashley's parents again declined to attend.

It was then that Davenport announced the new Miss Beach.

But it wasn't as glorious, the girls say.

Courtney was given a crown. She took pictures. Her family wishes to remain quiet about the matter.

"They took away Ashley's crowning moment," says Kiona.

" Courtney can never experience that (night) again," says contestant Katrina Gray.

Healing broken hearts

Ashley's crowning moment is slipping away.

"That night on stage, I was so happy and excited I can't understand how the judges messed up," she says.

Stress sent Ashley home from school early a couple of days before winter break began Dec. 20.

On the last day before the break, Davenport gathered the senior class and announced Courtney the winner. He also asked everyone to be sensitive to Ashley's feelings.

Ashley had already gone home.

"I've been throwing up, and not really talking to anyone," she says.

Meanwhile, Davenport is hoping the whole matter can be laid to rest.

He is satisfied the rightful Miss Beach has been crowned; others aren't so sure.

"It still seems like foul play," says Marilyn Johnson, contestant Marquisia Brown's mom.

Kimberly wonders if school officials tried to make a certain person win.

Wonders Ashley's mom: "Was something erased from my daughter's ballot?"

The girls also are concerned about Ashley.

They want to support her, and Courtney, but have mixed feelings.

"I feel like it was a careless mistake, and it's been unfair to all of us," Katrina says.

Should the title have been shared? Who really deserves it?

Katrina, Kiona, Kimberly and Marquisia are unsure.

Davenport contends the numbers show Ashley didn't win the title. She wasn't even a close runner up.

Ashley and her mother aren't convinced, even as the school wants the crown and trophy back.

"Why should I have to give back something that I earned?" Ashley asks.

Ashley's mom has contacted an attorney and wants Ashley's title restored.

Davenport, has spoken with school attorneys, and feels despite its blunder the school did the right thing.

"There was no malice on anybody's part," Davenport says.

Davenport hopes the school will learn from this year's fiasco. It will use computer spreadsheets next year, he says.

"These children aren't going to be able to move on. They have to look at Ashley every day," Marquisia's mom says.

But they're going to try. All hope the time away from school will offer solace.

Contestant Katrina Gray, like the others, wants closure.

"Everybody can't win."

 

[morninggirl5]

Okay it's in Savannah, makes a little more sense that i didn't see anything.


Somebody needs to give those people a bottle of chill pills. It's a fucking crown and $250 dollars for books. Unless they're horrible students, they're gonna have a Hope Scholarship that pays their full tuition, $250 for books isn't that much.

 

[Never]

I'm not going to respond to the topic itself but I always find it interesting how ugly people are willing to be when they think no one will take them up on it.

That and I think A Desert Rose's method is the best.