Festival Queens Pageant

Coming to you from Clay High School and proudly representing the Panthers, I am Olivia Moore, Miss Clay 2024. Blue and gold run in my family, as I am a fourth generation Clay Panther. Now, I am hoping to become a first-generation Miss River Days!

 

I am the daughter of Erica Moore and Antoine Moore. For me, I have always felt very fortunate to be treated like a “Queen” because I am the only child in my family, but now I’m prepared to earn the real crown. Currently, I am a Junior at Clay High School, where I am a proud member of the Clay High School Honor Roll, Yearbook Staff, and Prom Committee. On the court, I play volleyball and cheer. In my free time, you can find me with my friends and family, shopping, or listening to music.

 

Because I am Miss Clay 2024, you may be surprised to hear that I have struggled with extreme anxiety since I was six years old. In today’s world, young people face tremendous amounts of stress and social pressures, largely due to unrealistic expectations that are portrayed on social media. Unfortunately, these stresses and pressures often lead to anxiety. They certainly have for me. While I feel grateful that there is less of a stigma surrounding mental health in current times, I still feel like we have some work to do. I am doing my part to “work” on this by focusing my River Days platform on Anxiety Awareness. My slogan, “Be Kind to Your Mind,” is based on my belief that it is vitally important to take care of yourself and your mental health. ​Through my platform, I hope to educate others about anxiety, what it means, and how to cope with it in a positive manner. I plan to accomplish this by sharing my own personal experiences, as well as by hosting a community service event this summer. While mental health in general is very important to address and treat, I want to bring a specific focus to anxiety. Not only is it something that I am very passionate about, it is something that I can relate to on a very personal level.

 

For many contestants, becoming Miss River Days has been a lifelong dream, or if nothing else, has been something that they have been looking forward to throughout their time in school. For me, that has not been the case. While I have dreamed about being that confident girl up on the stage, due to my anxiety, I have always convinced myself that I was never capable of being THAT girl. Anxiety has held me back from countless opportunities that I would have loved to experience. That includes things like participating in school or new extracurricular activities that I really wanted to try, volunteering or working in my community, and overall, sharing my true thoughts and feelings with others. Now, I have made a decision: my anxiety will not consume me anymore because I am more than capable of doing this! 

 

Through my River Days journey, I hope to inspire, encourage, and teach others that having anxiety does not make you weak, but rather it makes you strong. I am strong and so are you. I want everyone, including myself, to know that they can make their dreams a reality, no matter their anxieties or what battles they may face. In my opinion, I already have achieved a dream.

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Serving as Miss Clay and having the opportunity to help others that may be in the very same situation that I have been in for years is more than I could ever ask for.  

 

I am forever grateful for my amazing family and friends, the Clay Local School District and community, the River Days Committee, the Friends of Portsmouth, the River Days Contestants and Pageant Moms, the generous sponsors, and lastly, the persons who have so generously donated to my journey as Miss Clay 2024. For without you, all of this would not be possible.

 

I am also grateful for how much stronger and fierce I will become throughout this journey. 

Now, it’s my turn! I can’t wait to now be that confident girl up on the stage, representing not only my Clay community but also myself, Olivia Moore, with confidence, grace, and Panther pride. I’ll see you out there!