WARDEN -  The next Miss Warden will receive her crown today.

The 2012 Miss Warden Pageant is 7 p.m. tonight at Warden Elementary School gym. Tickets are $3 per person.

"The girls have all been working very hard and are having a great time with everything," said Kayla Kight, coordinator of the Miss Warden Pageant. "They have all shown what each one could give to our community and how talented they are. We have had so much support from the school and the city for this event and look forward to the crowning of Miss Warden 2012."

The contestants are Betty Backell, Andrea Contreras, Ashley Martinez, Kimberly Vele and Isabelle Wilkinson.

Backell, a sophomore, plans to attend Washington State University after high school. She is a member of her school's volleyball and wrestling teams and is president of the drama club.

"I have been on stage most of my entire life and it has been a part of me," she wrote.

Contreras, a freshman, plans to study mental health counseling and business and start a bakery in Warden.

She plays volleyball and softball, wrestles, and is the freshman class president at Warden  High School.

"I would like to be Miss Warden because I would be a very good (representative)," she wrote. "I like to be involved in my community."

Martinez, a freshman, enjoys helping with school events and spending time with family and friends in her free time.

"I believe I would be a good representative to represent our town, because I am a good person and I would (make) a great person for our younger generation to look up to with a positive influence," she wrote.

Vela, a junior, is an honor role a student and a choir member. Being Miss Warden would give her an opportunity to be a positive role model and show her support of the community, she wrote.

"My experience with doing Miss Warden has been great and very rewarding," she wrote.

Wilkinson, a freshman, plays softball and volleyball and is a class officer. In her spare time, she plays the piano and bakes. She lives on a farm and appreciates her family and friends.

"I would like to represent Warden because it would be a very good opportunity to serve my community and represent my home town," she said.