Eastern Shore's 2025 Dogwood Trail Court announced

Members to be inducted at 73rd-annual Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival

GCM Staff Report
Posted 2/4/25

Eight high schoolers are off to great places as they begin the coming year, fulfilling a longstanding tradition along the Eastern Shore as members of the 2025 Dogwood Trail Court.

At the …

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Eastern Shore's 2025 Dogwood Trail Court announced

Members to be inducted at 73rd-annual Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival

Posted

Eight high schoolers are off to great places as they begin the coming year, fulfilling a longstanding tradition along the Eastern Shore as members of the 2025 Dogwood Trail Court.

At the 65th-annual Dogwood Trail Pageant and Scholarship Program on, Jan. 18, energetic dancing, colorful costumes and skits based on this year's theme, "It's a Girl Thing," highlighted the participants' creativity in the performance portion of the pageant.

A total of 44 participants were scored in essay, interview, creative introduction and presence and composure categories. Once the participants completed the preliminary components of the program, 14 finalists were selected. The finalists answered a randomly selected question.

"The participants in this year's program were some of the brightest, most talented and energetic young women I have had the opportunity to work with over my tenure," said JoAnn Broadus, executive director for the last 32 years.

The 14 finalists were Bayshore Christian School's Piper Bowman; Bayside Academy's Ava Bindon; Daphne High School's Madison Lang; Fairhope High School's Zaylee Bradley, Margaret Conyers, Mercedes Martinez, Ava McCormick, Mary Elizabeth Owens, Avery Payne and Madeline-Hart Preus; and Spanish Fort High School's Millie Cross, Mary Hays Gipson, Koty Maxwell and Adrianne Vickers.

The eight young women honored with the opportunity to represent the Eastern Shore and serve a one-year term as goodwill ambassadors on the 2025 Dogwood Trail Court are Bayshore Christian School sophomore Piper Bowman; Daphne High School junior Madison Lang; Fairhope High School sophomore Margaret Conyers and juniors Zaylee Bradley, Mercedes Martinez and Mary Hays Gipson; and Spanish Fort High School juniors Mary Hays Gipson and Adrinne Vickers.

Each Court member will receive, courtesy of the Eastern Shore Optimist Club, a $1,500 college scholarship and a costume designed to depict the floral heritage of the community and salute the artists who call the Eastern Shore home.

The eight new Court members join 396 alums.

Program alumni achievements, both academic and professional are vast. Alumni include a Fulbright Scholar, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar and National Merit Scholars. Former Court members and participants have gone on to become doctors, PhDs, attorneys, entrepreneurs, educators, engineers, architects and community leaders. U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin was a member of the 10 finalists in 1974.

The program has reached over 2,000 young women from the Eastern Shore. It is a building block for their careers, leadership positions and ability to make positive contributions to their communities.

Other scholarships and awards presented during the program were as follows.
• $500 scholarship for the most ads sold — Piper Bowman, Bayshore Christian School;
• $500 scholarship for the highest dollar ad sales — Piper Bowman, Bayshore Christian School;
• $500 first-place essay award — Mary Hays Gipson, Spanish Fort High School;
• $250 second-place essay award — Madeline-Hart Preus, Fairhope High School;

• $150 third-place essay award — Rylei Hamilton Fairhope High School;
• $500 scholarship for the best interview — Adrianne Vickers, Spanish Fort High School;
• $500 scholarship for best creative introduction — Madison Lang, Daphne High School;
• $500 scholarship for presence and composure — Mary Elizabeth Owens, Fairhope High School;
• $500 scholarship for the Crystal Kae Davis Spirit of Dogwood award — Mercedes Martinez, Fairhope High School; and
• $500 scholarship for the Eternal Optimist award — Sara Congleton, Fairhope High School.