Southern Belle Communicates Harmony

FARMINGTON --Jessica Partain, a 2015 Farmington graduate, showcased her hometown and community promoting harmony while competing for America's Homecoming queen last week.

In March, Partain, who was crowned 2014 Farmington Homecoming queen last October, was selected as Arkansas' Homecoming queen earning a chance to vie for the national crown. The 2015 National Finals were held at the Rose Theatre on the campus of Memphis University in Memphis, Tenn., July 22 - July 26. The 2015 National Finals Top 5 included: Fourth Runner Up - Lindy Stevenson, Miss Illinois; Third Runner Up - Samantha Miller, Miss Georgia; Second Runner Up - Kaelia Nelson, Miss Nebraska; First Runner Up - Gabriellai Manuela, Miss California; and America's Homecoming queen 2015 winner - Rachel Jernigan, Miss Alabama.

"This pageant kind of has a platform of community service and service at your church. It's not just cause you're a Homecoming queen," Partain said. "They really got that vibe from us that we were a loving person."

"Miss Alabama won and I really think she was the best person to win it. Her dad was a pastor. You could tell she was a godly girl. It just kind of radiated from her, that's what she stood for."

While Partain didn't finish among the Top 5, the friendships she made with girls from various states has expanded her world. In December, Partain went to the Liberty Bowl along with Lincoln 2014 Homecoming Taylor Cunningham and other homecoming queens from Arkansas.

"We kind of stuck with our own state. At the state pageant [in March] we were getting to know about different parts of our state but this time [at the National Homecoming Queen competition] we were paired up in alphabetical order so I was paired up with [Miss] California," Partain said, explaining, "That's how they determined your roommate and you had somebody to go with and kind of grew closer to them."

"We had to give speeches about why you should visit our state. It was interesting to hear what each place has. We loved North Dakota and Minnesota their accents," Partain said.

Some states, such as Montana, didn't have a state pageant and were selected in a category of queens at large. The drawback to this was there was no funding for travel to Memphis, Tenn. And some were not able to make the trip to compete in the National Finals. Some state Homecoming Queens in the at-large category were able to successfully raise enough funds on their own to come while Partain's travel funds were raised through the Arkansas State pageant. Partain suddenly realized she wasn't just representing her hometown and community of Farmington but was now representing the entire State of Arkansas. Partain says the charm of winning a high school Homecoming queen crown lasts about a week with students coming up to her in the hall and saying, "Congratulations, you're Homecoming queen."

"At Colors Day, it kind of comes back and at prom it kind of comes back but this lasts awhile. I reign for a whole year [as Arkansas Homecoming Queen] until the next state Homecoming queen is chosen," Partain said. "I will get to go back and crown her at the next State Homecoming queen pageant."

Between now and then, Partain is promoting a personal platform of preventing on-line bullying. In answering a surprise on-stage question during the state pageant, she said one of the biggest problems facing teens today is cyber bullying because kids don't always think before they post things.

"My reasons how I could fix that is to create a campaign where kids be in high school before they get a lot of social media."

Partain is grateful for support from her family, who accompanied her to Memphis and from her church, Brand New Church, of Farmington, with senior pastor Shannon O'Dell and the church, where she is involved in youth and kids ministry programs.

"I asked Pastor Shannon if he would sponsor me and he said, 'Yes.' He and youth pastor Andy Pilotte, they really did support me through all of this," Partain said.

Pilotte's wife, Becky, came over the night before Partain left for the National Finals and helped her pack.

"There's not that many pageants that are faith-based and community-service based. I want people to know this is a real thing and as Homecoming queen I got this opportunity."