By CARRINA STANTON

Staff Writer

POULSBO — In one month’s time, the Miss Poulsbo program will polish 13 area women into contestants for the Miss Poulsbo and Miss Kitsap crowns.

But before they could do that, there was the matter of making 14 little girls feel like princesses.

Sunday, the Miss Poulsbo organization held its fifth annual Little Sisters Tea. The event was one of the first public appearances of the 13 would-be titleholders and a chance for each one of them to receive their own little cheering section in the form of a third-grade girl who thinks the world of them.

Pageant organizer Michelle Nilsen-Wasson said the tea is her favorite part of the pageant season each year.

“Think about it. We have third graders, high schoolers, mothers and grandmothers in here,” Nilsen-Wasson commented, gesturing about the packed Sons of Norway hall. “With the power we all have here collectively, we can change the world.”

The Miss Poulsbo Pageant, which will celebrate its 50th year in April, became a Miss America Affiliated program five years ago. With that affiliation came the Little Sisters Program. Third-grade girls are paired with contestants and get to spend time with them during weekly practices and other events leading up to the April 10 pageant.

The little sisters will also provide some of the entertainment at the pageant and will each receive a tiara from Dahlquist’s Jewelry in Poulsbo for their participation.

The first meeting between big and little sisters at Sunday’s tea is a closely guarded secret. Each little sister received a charm bracelet and an envelope containing the name of their new companion but they had to wait in anticipation until just the right moment for their surprise.

Then, all at once, 14 little girls tore open their envelopes and rushed across the floor to embrace their new big sisters.

Little sister Leah Baugh’s eyes flashed with stars after first meeting Miss Poulsbo contestant Kelsey Erickson. When asked what she thought of her new big sister, Baugh blushed.

“She’s nice,” she said quietly.

Baugh added that the things she’s looking forward to most are the pageant and the Viking Fest parade in May.

Erickson, who is the North Kitsap High School ASB president and a former Miss Viking Fest princess, said she was most interested in the Miss Poulsbo competition for the scholarship money it offered. This year, both Miss Poulsbo and Miss Kitsap will receive $5,000 scholarships. Erickson said she was pleasantly surprised to find out about the little sister portion of the experience.

“I think she’s adorable,” Erickson said looking down at Leah with a smile. “She’s a little sweetheart. We’re going to have a lot of fun.”

For Miss Kitsap hopeful Mallory Morrison, Sunday’s meeting with Seabeck’s Grace Cooper was something of a dream come true.

“I only have brothers, so now I have a little sister without all the fighting. We can skip right to the loving each other part,” she said with a smile.

One of the biggest things about the Little Sisters Program is the relationships that are formed between the pairings. Little sisters and big sisters from previous years have stayed in contact with one another and the younger girls have a strong female role model to look up to. This was evidenced Sunday afternoon as former Miss Poulsbos Kristen Eddings and Jeanna Osteller, as well as the current Miss Poulsbo Danielle Deitch and Miss Kitsap Maria Knox were in attendance — all with their little sisters next to them.

Deitch said while being a role model to a younger girl is very rewarding, the Little Sister Program is also a benefit for the contestants.

“I could not have done it without her,” Deitch said, putting her arm around her little sister Jacquelyn Stenman. “You have all these appearances and parades and it would be hard to do it all alone.”