A group of 16 Dorchester girls between the ages of 7 and 12 gathered at Saint John Paul II Academy’s Columbia Road campus last Saturday, May 17, to compete for the titles of Little Miss & Young Miss Dorchester.
After several rounds of questions posed to them by event coordinator Annissa Essaibi-George and last year’s winners, Nicole Adkins and Isabella Robbins, nine-year-old Blake Finnegan emerged as Little Miss Dorchester and 11-year-old Natalie Adkins was named Young Miss Dorchester.
“Both Natalie and Blake were incredibly outspoken, had a lot of charisma and personality, spoke very clearly about why they loved Dorchester and why Dorchester is a very special community,” said Essaibi-George.
The two girls, along with their peers, shared their love for their schools, Pope John Paul Park, Garvey Playground, and Lazy Bear Creamery, which, Essaibi-George referred to as a “fan favorite.”
“I hope they learned something about their own personal strength. Public speaking is really hard, and they all did it like rock stars,” she noted. “I’m really proud of them stepping up and being brave and knowing they are strong enough to do what they did on Saturday.”
After the event, Finnegan and Adkins were awarded bikes, thanks to a donation from state Rep. Dan Hunt, and the entire group enjoyed a pizza party with their families and friends.
Essaibi-George summed up the proceedings: “As much as the goal is to end the day with a Little Miss and Young Miss Dorchester, we really try to make it a celebration of some of the best that Dorchester has to offer.”
All of the contestants have been invited to participate in the June 1 Dorchester Day Parade, which starts at 1 p.m. in Lower Mills. Find out more about the contest winners in next week’s special Dot Day edition of The Reporter.
