"Her favorite thing was the pageant!" Wasilla resident finalist in National Pageant

Young Aurora Barnes of Wasilla, the reigning Miss Alaska Junior Elementary-1st grade, spent the past week making her debut, competing in her first national pageant and earning a spot as a finalist in the Miss Elementary America pageant.

“She made it into the top 11- only 2 girls before have made it this far. She’s putting Alaska on the map!” said a very proud Dnayla Alston, Barnes’ cousin.

The Miss Elementary America Pageant was created in 2019 as a division of the Miss High School America Pageant Organization, a scholarship pageant for young ladies in grades Pre-K to 6th grade. The purpose of the program is to introduce girls to the Miss High School America Organization, who have an interest in community service and possibly someday competing in the Miss High School America National Pageants.

Participants build confidence, gain friendships with girls and young women from all over the United States, and have the opportunity to compete on a large national stage.

Activities and events during the national pageant week, also known as the Crown Academy, included a Pajama Party, Pageant Workshop, Build a Bear Party, Museum of Discovery, National Banquet, Community Service Event, and of course, rehearsals, all leading up to the pageant.

“She said out of everything that week-the Museum of Discovery, Little Rock Zoo, the Build-a-Bear party-her favorite thing was the actual pageant,” said Alston.

Contestants also took part in the Miss Junior High, High School, and Collegiate America Arrival Ceremony, which was streamed on Facebook.

“I’m a queen now,” Barnes proudly declared when we met with her a few months ago, donning her crown and a big, bright smile when she talked about her recent win.

Barnes comes from a pageant background as her cousin, Alston has participated in several pageants of her own and was a 2022 Rondy Royalty Princess.

Barnes began her journey when she competed in her first pageant and won the local title of Miss Wasilla Elementary last year, propelling her to Miss Alaska Junior Elementary, and now proudly representing the Last Frontier on the national stage.

The pageant was also free of drama and behaviors that could be seen as insulting or hurtful to such young participants, as the Miss Alaska Junior Elementary competition is part of the larger Miss Alaska Junior High, High School, and Collegiate America Pageant competitions that exists for the purpose of providing personal and professional opportunities for junior high, high school, and collegiate women through friendly competition of interview skills, poise, confidence, style, service, and character.

“There are hundreds of pageants (in the lower 48), but Alaska has 6, so there’s very little to pick from, as far pageants.”

This is not a “winner take all” pageant; instead, there are opportunities to win awards and prizes without taking home the title, allowing ladies a chance to express themselves, learn life skills and help pay for continued education.

So what is next for Barnes now that the national pageant is over?

“She crowns a new Miss Alaska Elementary this October. She is sad thinking about it giving her crown away, in a sense,” says Alston, who says instead of competing next year, Barnes is going to take a break and won’t be an ‘at-large’ title.

Along with Barnes’s pageant accomplishments, she has done a lot for someone so young in the community.

“Picking up trash for Earth Day, volunteering at many events that benefit the youth in our community, the ‘Night to Shine’ Tim Tebow event, the Raise Gala that benefits Reach 907, and teaching her peers about B.R.A.V.E and building respect and values for everyone.

For those wanting to follow Barnes’s footsteps, visit www.americashighschoolpageant.com, or visit the pageant Facebook pages, Miss Elementary America National Pageant and Crown Academy.