The Southwest Voice

larger view

The Bakersfield Junior Miss Program is encouraging well-rounded young women to compete for over $8,000 in college scholarships. You must be a high school junior in good standing to compete at the local level.

There will be an orientation and informational meeting held on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Standard Middle School Auditorium located at 1200 N. Chester Ave . in Bakersfield.

The mission of the Junior Miss Scholarship Program on a national, state, and local level is to emphasize education by providing scholarship opportunities to outstanding college-bound high school girls, and to encourage personal development in all young people through the "Be Your Best Self" outreach program.

We reward excellence and achievement through the awarding of cash scholarships. Our core values are integrity, excellence, enduring relationships and opportunities.

Rehearsals begin on Tuesday, Jan. 23, and continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays until the program date of March 24. Rehearsals are at Standard Middle School from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Please inquire about schedule conflicts. The program will be open to the public and promises to be an entertaining and exciting evening.

The Junior Miss Program is not a beauty pageant, a popularity contest, a fundraiser for a local service club, or a program for "brainy" people. All young women are judged on their own merits and each category is judged individually without reference to performance in other judging categories.

For more information on the Junior Miss Program, judging criteria, history, etc. visit the national Web site at: AJM.org or contact Bakersfield's Junior Miss Director, Shannon Caputo, 342-7622 or at: bakersfieldjm@bak.rr.com