Beauty pageant contestant spreads her wings

Jarah Gibson has always had all eyes on her. There was something about the spotlight the Flushing girl liked. &#8220I don't know why, but ever since Jarah was a little girl she attracted attention,” said her mother, Teresa Boone. &#8220She would always dance and sing and perform at our family functions. Jarah loves to be in the spotlight.”
For that reason, Boone wasn't surprised when her daughter took home first place honors in her first-ever beauty pageant at her church, Rush Temple, in Jamaica. Then the notification came through the mail from Miss New York Junior Teen America that Gibson would be invited to the national contest in Windsor Locks, CT. &#8220I like the fact that I can go to a different place just to go to a pageant,” she said.
Gibson says she isn't nervous about the national competition. One would be hard-pressed to believe her, with just one pageant under her belt, but there is the fact, as her mother stated, that the more attention she has, the better. Nerves never even factor into the equation. &#8220I never got nervous before,” she said. &#8220I don't know why, I just have no problems.”
The contest is based on community service, scholastic achievement, leadership, extra curricular involvement, verbal expression during presentation, poise and formal expression in evening wear, talent, modeling, physical fitness and appearance.
Gibson certainly meets the qualifications. Easy on the eyes, she's a Level 5 gymnast at Lana's Gymnastics in Flushing, where she's been training since the age of four. She recently graduated from the Barbizon School of Modeling, so she has experience in that field as well.
As for giving her time to others, Gibson doesn't fall short in that category, either. She has volunteered at the Co-op City's Gardens, planting seeds and helping to clean up the area; she's been very active in school supporting Hurricane Katrina victims; she has given her allowance to help out the hungry children at St. Jude's Research Hospital for terminally sick children.
She is also very active at Rush Temple, where, as a devout churchgoer, Gibson, 12, is a member of the Junior Usher Board, The Buds of Promise, The Children's Choir and has served as the preacher steward in the children's church.
But her aforementioned involvement isn't all Gibson is about. She's also quite athletic. Gibson is an accomplished swimmer and since the age of five has been taking lessons at Progressive Martial Arts. In fact, she recently earned her Green belt, and has taken private training in martial arts weapons.
But Gibson's calling is singing and dancing. She sang &#8220I Believe I Can Fly” when she graduated from nursery school. Already at that young age she was singing with the New Star Baptist Church Choir. &#8220I like to sing and I like to dance,” she said. &#8220It's fun. When I'm bored, I just dance. I just like to perform. [Last weekend] we had a block party at my grandmother's house and my cousin and I were dancing for everybody.”
In addition to her numerous extracurricular activities and duties at her church, Gibson is an aspiring poet and frequent reader of Maya Angelou. &#8220Whatever I feel, I write about,” she said. &#8220Like friends and family.”