OPINION: Miss South Carolina a local celebrity worth embracing

Kelly Sloan came to Hartsville in January to compete in a preliminary competition for the Miss South Carolina scholarship pageant. Little did the Coastal Carolina University graduate know what was in store after winning Miss Hartsville.
Sloan was crowned Miss South Carolina in July, becoming the first Miss Hartsville and setting off a celebration in Darlington County that will not subside until after the Miss America pageant in January.
The personable school teacher will be one of 51 contestants, all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, to compete for the Miss America title in Las Vegas.
Sloan became a local celebrity and a statewide voice for issues such as teen pregnancy awareness, anti-litter campaigns and her own personal platform of Communities in Schools.
Hartsville’s scholarship pageant committee embraces the principles of Miss America, and it’s easy to see why when outstanding young women like Sloan rise to the titles of Miss Hartsville and Miss South Carolina.
“The community really gets behind the local girl,” Sloan said. “When I had my homecoming in Hartsville, I felt like I was going to my wedding reception. It was beautiful.”
During the Miss America Outstanding Teen Pageant in Orlando, Fla., earlier this month, Sloan met Miss America qualifiers from around the country. She expected to be the oldest contestant at 24 and the shortest at 5-foot-3. She was not.
“I am vertically challenged,” she deadpanned during a meeting with the Morning News editorial board.
Fortunately, Sloan’s age will work to her advantage in the Miss America pageant. Her life experiences have made her better and wiser at answering interview questions, and she’s had experience teaching in the classroom.
Sloan, who was a sprinter on the Coastal Carolina track team, has worked two years as a pre-K teacher for 4- and 5-year-old children at the M.S. Bailey Child Development Center in Clinton. She developed her platform through her professional experience. It’s a hands-on, reality-based program that connects schools in need with community resources.
At 24, this was the last year Sloan could compete in Miss South Carolina. She had tried three previous years to win the title.
“The best part about being Miss South Carolina is I get to go into the schools and interact with the children,” Sloan said. “They see me as a role model, and I am very comfortable with that. I can relate to college, middle-school and high-school students.”
Palmetto Pride and the South Carolina Coalition to Prevent Teen Pregnancy signed on this year as sponsors for Miss South Carolina, meaning Sloan has picked up their mantle in her seemingly non-stop trips across the state.
“I spend a lot of time in my car, driving. It’s hard to drive in high heels,” she said.
Sloan, a singer who plans to perform “For Once in My Life” at Miss America, wears her crown at most public appearances, but not when she’s eating or driving.
Scholarship pageants have been criticized in some circles as being old-fashioned and out of touch with modern women. We disagree. Miss America provides more scholarship money to women than any program in the country. And it gives them an opportunity to develop poise on stage and in interview situations.
In the Miss America competition, the winner is not chosen on beauty alone. Talent is the most important component, followed by interview, swimsuit and evening-gown competitions.
The Miss America winner becomes the national ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network, a role Sloan is ready to embrace. She’s trying to raise $100,000 before Miss America for the charity, a partner of ours in the annual telethon on News13.
We understand Hartsville’s pride in Sloan. Her Miss South Carolina victory was historic and well received. We hope she comes home from Las Vegas in January as Miss America.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).