THE first staging of the Mr and Miss ECC (Excelsior Community College) pageant since 2008, took place Saturday night at the Excelsior High School auditorium in Kingston.

Twenty-four competitors (7 male and 17 females) displayed their talent pieces, paraded in evening wear and answered questions before the winners were announced.

Twenty-three-year-old Sasha Gaye Robinson, a business & entrepreneurial studies student, who delivered a strong performance of Jennifer Holliday’s And I Am Telling You, was crowned Miss ECC. Second-place winner was Olivia Hinds, while Janiel Alexander finished in third place.

Eighteen-year-old Reneil Clarke, whose talent piece — The Gospel — went down well with patrons inside the jam-packed auditorium, was named Mr ECC. Donovan Stewart, a tourism and hospitality management student, was named first runner-up, while performing arts student Nicholas Kerr finished in third place.

Philmore McCarthy, principal at the institution, said the pageant was a culmination of the week-long celebrations for College Week.

‘This competition is a form of engagement for the students. A part of it is to develop their confidence, self-awareness and to demonstrate their cultural activities. They have to understand the culture and aims of the institution. Each contestant has to have at least a 2.5 academic average before they are allowed to participate,” McCarthy told the Jamaica Observer.

The pageant was first held in 1993.

‘The turnout of patrons was pretty good, but we had a low-key promotion that was only done internally,” McCarthy added.

Robin Clarke, PRO for the institution, said the aim of the competition was about student development.

‘They are judged based on their cultural awareness, current and national issues, campus issues and general issues affecting young people,” said Clarke.

Former fashion model Althea Laing, who trained the competitors for six weeks leading up to the finals, was pleased with the development of her charges.

‘The participants have changed and blossomed over the six weeks. I am very happy how they represented on stage,” said Laing.

Laing, who was among the first batch of teacher trainees who graduated from the institution in 1975, said the competition was brought back after a suggestion she made to the principal last year.

— Kevin Jackson