Jessica Partain, a 2015 Farmington graduate, is competing on the national stage in a Homecoming Queen pageant this weekend.
Partain, daughter of Joe and Dana Partain of Farmington, has been selected Arkansas' Homecoming Queen. She is the 2014 Farmington High School Homecoming queen and will represent the state of Arkansas at the 35th annual America's Homecoming Queen Selection to be held on Saturday at Memphis, Tenn. Jessica plans to go to college and become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Jessica is also competing for Arkansas' Favorite Homecoming Queen. You can vote for her for Arkansas' favorite homecoming queen at www.americashomecomingqueen.com. Voting will continue through July.
Partain's Arkansas State Homecoming queen crown was awarded to conclude a competition held March 22, at the Jacksonville Community Center. Partain has already exceeded her own expectations at each level beginning with the announcement last October at halftime of the Farmington Homecoming game.
"They said I was homecoming queen and that was kind of a shock," Partain said, explaining she also didn't realize she had won the State Homecoming crown in March and was amazed she was picked to compete because contestants must be invited.
"You just do an interview and a little pageant walk and I didn't really think it was going to be a big thing for me.I didn't really think I was going to win it. They called me and said I won based on my interview. That surprised me. I was just being myself."
Peggy Hester, founder of America's Homecoming Queen, said Partain was chosen as Arkansas Homecoming Queen from among 10-to-15 finalists.
"Basically, it's not a beauty pageant. It's more about how to communicate with people," Hester said. "The interview is so important because these girls are going to be interviewing for a job some day. The things they were born with, their looks, it has nothing to do with that. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway. It's about how she conducts herself, it's about how she prepares herself."
When asked to describe herself, Partain responded, "I would say I have a very fun and outgoing personality."
According to Hester those traits are part of what judges are looking for.
"It's the girl next door. I would say 99 percent of these girls have never been in a pageant before."
As a result of her state win, Farmington High School will receive a special engraved plaque displaying Partain's photograph for the tropy case. The national contest begins Wednesday and continues through Saturday. Hester said the host site has been strategically place in the center of the country to allow more parents to attend.
"We want parents to be able to come and let people know there are girls out there who want an education," Hester said."
The purpose of the organization is to promote education and community service for high school homecoming queens in all 50 states. A press release further states, "We are giving these young women, who have shown outstanding leadership ability, the opportunity to achieve their dreams and goals of being our leaders of tomorrow. We strive to reinforce the teaching of their home, school, and church, and work to give each girl the self confidence to achieve to the goals she desires. The selection provides a friendly competition between girls of many differing localities and backgrounds."
"We're helping them to make a contribution to their community," Hester said.
Partain, who was a member of the dance team, has produced a video documenting some of her community activities including working with the dance team at the back to school bonanza when they prepared backpacks with school supplies for children and the opening of Cardinal Arena in January when the new 1,800-seat competitive basketball gym debuted.
"It's a tight-knit community that really does feel like home," Partain said in describing Farmington, "It's not as big as Fayetteville. You know your neighbors and are friends with the people who do live here."
MARK HUMPHREY IS A SPORTS REPORTER FOR THE ENTERPRISE-LEADER.
Sports on 07/22/2015