Queen of the Beer Cans

In conclusion to the earlier Queen of the Beer Cans thread...

I'd like to give a hardy "thanks" to all of the well-wishers (many) and can-contributors (Long Legs). My daughter finished an almost-respectable fifth (out of eight contestants) in the final tally. Although I expected a low showing, what I didn't expect was that our meager efforts at collecting beer cans would have earned her a very respectable third place finish had that been the only criteria. Apparently, I'm not the only slacker-parent out there. The deciding factor, however, came down to the family most willing to pony up cold, hard cash in the end.

The school's accountant (who ran the show and was gracious enough to provide me with a copy of the official results) said she had a bidding war going on via cell phones in the final minutes of the contest. Three girls were calling home from her office with the latest monetary count and asking for more donations (we weren't one of them).

The family of the young lady who won the crown of "Reina" plucked down a total of 2,395 pesos on the final day (which included her grandmother's savings, I'm told) to go with her can-collecting efforts. The second-place finisher was awarded the sash of "Princesa," while the third-place contestant received the sash of "Dama de Honor." In total, a little over $11,000 pesos was raised through the can collecting, fund-raising kermeses held at school and family donations of cash to, literally, buy the vote. The funds were used to pay for two dances for the students, which culminated in the Dia del Estudiante celebration.

My daughter didn't go home empty-handed, however. She was voted "Señorita Simpatia" by her fellow competitors, which is akin to Miss Congeniality north of the border. She was real happy with that and mentioned something about Sandra Bullock and packing a gun. Furthermore, to take advantage of her academic record (my daughter is a "straight ten" student [a ten is the equivalent of an A in the US]), school officials apparently came up with a special category this year of "Señorita Talento Academico," which garnered her another sash.

The coronation was held at the Salon de Eventos Damiana, which was rented for the evening to celebrate Dia del Estudiante with a student dance. Since it was a school night (Monday), the event ended at midnight and the students were allowed to go to school at 9:00 instead of their usual 7:30 start time the next morning.

As strange as this system of selecting a "Homecoming Queen" (of sorts) is, it is the same system used in schools in the Philippines, where my daughter's mother is from.

Some photos of the occasion:


The eight contestants, composed of students of all three grade levels (first, second, and third year students of secundaria). My daughter is the second from the right.


Miss Marcela Vargas, Queen of El Dia del Estudiante


My daughter Nikki (Bajalerita): Miss Simpatia and Miss Talento Academico. Her Filipino-American heritage makes her look right at home in Mexico.


[Edited on 6-3-2011 by Bajatripper]

Congratulations!

OMG!!!!! They're teaching the kids that mordita has it's own rewards in school here!

Glad I could help "Señorita Simpatia/Señorita Talento Academico" and I sincerely applaud you for not buying into the mordita to buy your daughter a crown BS!! Hopefully bajalerita is smart enough to know that she accomplished more with the two titles she earned through her own merit than the gal whose parents bought her the crown! You have every right to be proud!

So I take it that cold hard cash carried the day & the students didn't learn a whole lot about the benefits of recycling?

Tripper, if you don't fess up that my contribution consisted mostly of soda cans, you're gonna do irreparable harm to my almost teetotaler rep!

I'd like to say thanks again to all. Although I've never been a fan of beauty contests in the traditional sense, this was a positive experience for my daughter. As part of the build up to the "presentaciones," they gave all of the young ladies lessons on walking and posture (very appreciated by me as my daughter has tended to be a "sloucher"). One of the kids' parents works at a local hotel, so they scheduled a photo shoot there around the pool (in gowns) which provided her with many nice photos for her future memories.

It was also a nice "send-off" for her from her school and classmates. She will be leaving me after this school year to attend school in the US in preparation for college.

Thanks for sharing a part of your family ... really great .. looks like she will be having some big changes in her life... and only for the good...

Great job !!