MONROE — They’ll strut, shimmer, smile and shine. And while on stage they are called diamonds and pearls, the young girls looking to enter the Miss Greater Pee Dee Scholarship Pageant will have the chance to prove they are North Carolina’s gems.

An meeting for girls debating whether to enter the pageant is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Hampton B. Allen Library in Wadesboro.

Subrina Hough, an organizer of the pageant, said the diamond-and-pearl-themed pageant is a great way for girls to gain a positive self-image.

“This is a chance for girls to build self-esteem,” Hough said. “This (pageant) is for young ladies who desire to grow and build self-motivation.”

There will be three different categories for girls to enter. For the Miss Greater Pee Dee title, entrants must be between the ages of 17 and 24, at least a senior in high school, have no children and never have been married. The Miss Greater Pee Dee Outstanding Teen is for girls between the ages of 13 and 16. The Miss Greater Pee Dee Carolina Princess will have girls ages 8 though 12. Any girl who meets the requirements and is from Anson, Union, Richmond or Montgomery counties is eligible to participate. The pageant is scheduled for March 27.

Last year, it was the Miss Anson County Pageant and was open only to Anson County residents. Hough said there was a large response by girls in other counties who wished to enter, so the group expanded the eligibility area. The pageant last year was the first the county had hosted in 30 years.

Karen B. Nash is on the pageant committee and was the winner in that last Miss Anson County pageant 30 years ago.

“This pageant would help anyone who enters,” Nash said. “I enjoyed it because it better prepared myself. I practiced for the interview, walking, posture. I was a dancer and I had to perfect my talent. I had a good experience and met a lot of new people.”

At the interest meeting, Miss North Carolina Katherine Southard, a Sun Valley High School graduate, and Miss North Carolina Outstanding Teen Katherine Puryear will be available to answer questions any girls or parents might have.

Nash said this will be a chance for girls to ask logistical questions such as how to find a dress and what kind of makeup they should have.

“There are some ladies that are still on the fence,” Hough said. “By having Miss North Carolina and Miss Outstanding Teen at the meeting, it gives girls a chance to see all aspects of the pageant and get a lot of good information.”

The pageant is being hosted by Helping Our Loved ones Learn and Achieve, or HOLLA. For more information call 704-694-3552 or visit www.wadesboro.com online.