Tonight, 54 young ladies in grades 9-12 will take to the stage of the Greenville High School Auditorium, as they vie for the title of Miss GHS. This year’s theme (given the close proximity of the pageant to Valentine’s Day) is &uot;Love is in the Air&uot;. The pageant is slated to kick off at 6 p.m. sharp tonight.

The GHS Yearbook Staff, the student organization responsible for mounting the annual production, will decorate the stage with an oh-so-appropriate hearts and flowers theme, says GHS Yearbook Sponsor Mollie Utley.

&uot;Our yearbook staff really does a great job with the pageants – members take care of the lights, sound, stage decoration and looking after the contestants and judges; it’s a true student production,&uot; Utley said.

Christen Clarke of Theodore, Miss Greater Greenville 2005, is slated to entertain at this evening’s event. Clarke, a gifted self-taught vocalist, was co-winner of the Talent Award at this year’s Miss GG Program.

Faculty members also help out with the annual program, with teacher Todd Henderson serving as the emcee for the evening.

The contestants must be more than &uot;just pretty faces,&uot; says Utley. &uot;We also hold interviews in addition to the on-stage competition – and we now have academic competition as part of the judging.&uot;

Each of the teen’s GPAs will be counted as part of this evening’s competition.

&uot;To keep this on an even playing field, we evaluate their grades for this school year alone – so upperclassmen do not have an unfair advantage over, say, a freshman who has been here only a few months,&uot; said Utley.

Utley says the girl with the most outstanding attitude will also be recognized tonight with the title of Miss Congeniality, an honor bestowed on one contestant by her fellow Miss GHS hopefuls.

&uot;We are looking forward to a great evening Saturday night,&uot; the yearbook sponsor says.

Tickets for the Miss GHS Pageant are $5 each and will be available at the door tonight. Funds raised will go to benefit the GHS Yearbook Program.