Windham student learning confidence through pageants

By Erin Rose

Windham student Peyton Dore is learning to conquer the stage as she prepares to compete in the state’s Women of Service Pageant in March.

Windham student Peyton Dore, 7, a second grader
at Windham Christian Academy, won the Coastal
Maine Women of Service Young Princess title
in Windham in August and will compete in the
Maine Women of Service Pageant in March. 
COURTESY PHOTO

“I like playing dress up,” Peyton, 7, said when asked why she loves doing pageants. “It’s fun when I get to see the judges and my family” from the stage, including her dad, Troy, and 9-year-old brother Landon.

Kristin Dore, Peyton’s mother, explained that the duo decided to start competing in pageants at the encouragement of her pageant coach.

“Her coach, who is also the director of the pageant, Windham High graduate Morgan Wing, reached out and said ‘Peyton should do these!’” she said. “I figured she liked getting dressed up, so why not?”

Peyton entered the pageant world in January and has found success in the nine months since. She earned the Coastal Maine Women of Service Young Princess title at the local competition, held in Windham in August. That title guarantees her place at the state event and the potential chance to compete for national titles.

In addition to the overall competition, Peyton participates in a number of different optional categories that allow her to showcase beauty and fashion, including American Wear, Photogenic, Casual Wear, and Fitness. She most recently won titles in several of those categories as well.

In her most recent interview round, she was one of several contestants go through to determine who will take the crown, and Peyton’s judges have noticed how she’s improved in the short time she’s being doing pageants.

“Mrs. Maine was one of her practice judges, and then was a judge at the recent pageant,” Kristin said. “She said it was night and day, that Peyton had improved so much.”

One of the titles Peyton won in the regional competition is especially meaningful.

“She also won Miss Congeniality,” Kristin said. “All the contestants vote on that. That means she showed what the pageant represents.”

Peyton, who is in second grade at Windham Christian Academy, is known to be helpful backstage, cheering up younger contestants and helping them get pumped to walk the stage, even helping them with their clothes and accessories.

“One of them didn’t want to put her cute shoes on, and her mom was trying to put cute ones I liked on,” Peyton explained. “I told her, ‘You’re just going to wear them for a couple minutes and then take them off,’ and she started to wear them.”

“I was also telling her that her outfits were cute,” she added.

She also helps to get other kids energized before they take the stage.

“The little kids, if they’re in front of me, I try to get them excited so that they’re ready to get on stage” she said, adding that she wants to make sure “they’re not scared.”

Kristin says that Peyton’s actions are an example of how supportive the community is backstage at the Women of Service pageants.

“Everyone helps each other, even if you’re in the same group as someone,” she said. “It’s very helpful and very uplifting.”

One major component of the pageant is that each contestant must have a platform to provide service to their community. Peyton has chosen to pass out bags to homeless people in the area which includes granola bars, hand sanitizers, pretzels, gloves, and other small items.

“We did it in kindergarten and first grade as a fun project,” Peyton said, adding that they give out bags when they see people in need in the community. “I’ve kept doing it.”

Originally nervous when facing the competitions, Peyton is learning to embrace the stage, a skill that will help her as she enjoys dancing with the Maine Dance Center.

“I used to be scared, but then I get brave,” Peyton said. 

“She’s very nervous when she goes out there and then she’s a whole different kid,” Kristin added.

The pageants provide a great opportunity for Peyton to be the competitor, as the family frequently attends sporting events for her brother. It also provides time for Kristin and Peyton to spend together.

“She’s always been the sideline sibling so it’s great to have her moment,” Kristin said. “When she won the Natural Beauty award, she was very happy, and said, ‘Momma, you did this with me’. It was a nice moment.”

“She knows that we’re going all over the place with her brother, and it’s nice to have her shining moment,” she said.

The Maine Women of Service Pageant is part of the International and American Women of Service Pageant organization. It is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to empowering girls and women through a commitment to service, education and leadership development. The pageant has nine age divisions, ranging from girls as young as 5 in the Little Princess division to over 50 in the Classic division. <

Global Beauty Awards honor Windham fashion brand founder

By Ed Pierce

Katie Winchenbach of Windham believes she can change the world and is not letting anyone tell her otherwise.

Katie Winchenbach of Windham, founder of fashion'
brand 'Fearless by Katie Winchenbach' was honored
as the 'Best Rising entrepreneur' at the 2026
Global Beauty Awards in Seattle, Washington
on April 18, rec0ognikzing her growing impact
in the fashion and business world.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
 

Winchenbach, the founder of fashion brand “Fearless by Katie Winchenbach” was honored as the “Best Rising Entrepreneur” at the 2026 Global Beauty Awards on April 18 in Seattle, Washington, recognizing her growing impact in the fashion and business world less than a year after launching the brand.

Known for its high-quality, statement clothing designed for special events at more accessible pricing, the Fearless by Katie Winchenbach brand’s signature line of vibrant, colorful dresses, all under $300, reflects Winchenbach’s commitment to making confidence and standout style attainable for more women.

She said she is humbled by this recognition.

“This award means so much because it reflects the heart behind the brand,” said Winchenbach. “Fearless was created to give women that extra layer of confidence. Not just in how they look, but in how they show up in their lives.”

According to Winchenbach, she launched the Fearless by Katie Winchenbach fashion brand in 2025 with a clear mission of creating clothing that empowers women to feel confident, capable, and unapologetically bold. Her designs focus on flattering a variety of body types while helping women “own every room they walk into.”

Her journey to this point has been one of persistence and determination.

Winchenbach grew up in the small town of Milford, near the University of Maine in Orono, and moved to Windham in 2021 with her husband Jared. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Maine, a Juris Doctorate law degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University.

She became a corporate attorney while also working as a podcast host.​

“My mom always told me that I could be anything I wanted to be. I took that literally, becoming the first in my family to attend college and law school,” Winchenbach said. “Being a first-generation student challenged me, but it also inspired me to help pave the way for women like me who are chasing big dreams.​”

One of those dreams was realized when she entered and won the pageant title as USOA Mrs. Maine 2024, which gave her a platform to advocate for women’s empowerment, provide critical leadership opportunities, and to break down barriers to women’s success.

That led to her entering the National United States Mrs. 2025 Pageant representing Maine and she won that title too, cementing her idea of advancing women’s leadership, breaking barriers, and inspiring confidence in women of all ages.

She says that deciding to compete for the National United States Mrs. title gave her the opportunity to evaluate the impact that she was making on my community and challenged her to find new ways to tap into my passion for supporting rising women leaders.

“As a result, I created a podcast titled Lead Fearlessly in which I invite women leaders from all over the world to share their stories, their struggles, and their tips,” Winchenbach said. “My goal is to give women all over the world the leadership support that I once needed. This podcast has opened so many doors for me including giving me the opportunity to present my first TEDx talk on leadership and confidence, and a clothing line she called Fearless by Katie Winchenbach.”

During a recent television interview, Winchenbach said that as a 5-foot-1, size 12 woman, she wasn’t a “stereotypical pageant girl” so she had difficulty finding clothing that made her feel confident.

"That's what led me to start my own clothing line," she told the television interviewer.

In under a year, the Fearless by Katie Winchenbach fashion brand has drawn significant national and international attention, with runway showcases and partnering with Supermodels Unlimited at New York Fashion Week and Miami Swim Week, and her debut at Paris Fashion Week.

Now the Global Beauty Awards have paid tribute to Winchenbach and called further attention to what she is trying to accomplish. The Global Beauty Awards is an international awards program that celebrates excellence across the pageant, beauty, fashion, and business industries. It brings together professionals from around the world and recognizes individuals who demonstrate leadership, innovation, and impact in their fields.

Winners of Global Beauty Awards are selected through a formal nomination and voting process involving industry members and peers.

Through it all, Winchenbach’s husband has been so incredibly supportive, not just of her pageant participation, but of everything that has resulted from that, including this latest award for her fashion brand. 

“He was front row in Miami when I launched my clothing line, he holds down the fort at home when I travel for appearances and events, and of course, he was right there in the audience when I won this national title,” she said. “I've poured a lot of time and effort into my podcast, my service work, and my pageant preparation. I wouldn't be able to do that without knowing he has my back.”

Despite all the acclaim and recognition that she has received, Winchenbach remains committed to uplift, empower, and inspire rising women leaders and it is at the heart of everything she does.​

“I think when you are in a male-dominated field like the legal profession it's easy to get caught up with trying to fit in and I definitely did that,” she said. “It wasn't until I started competing in pageants that I realized I wasn't being my full, authentic self. I have always loved fashion, modeling, and design. I actually went to undergrad with the goal of becoming a fashion writer. When I joined the legal profession, I felt like I had to leave that part of me behind, but pageantry made me see that wasn't the case. I finally found the confidence to show up as who I was meant to be. Now I'm proud to be a successful attorney and a podcast host, model, designer, and advocate for women.” <

Theater provides confidence and team building for students at Jordan-Small Middle School

By Elizabeth Richards

On the last weekend in March, students at Jordan-Small Middle School (JSMS) will present the lively musical, “Jungle Book Kids.”

The show, adapted from Rudyard Kipling’s collection of stories, tells the story of Mowgli, an

abandoned baby raised by wolves deep in the jungle. Banished by tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli is guided towards a village by Bagheera, a panther. But the trip doesn’t always go smoothly, and Mowgli is reluctant to leave his jungle home. He meets a varied cast of friends and foes on his journey, which climaxes with a giant jungle battle.

Deb Doherty, the director of the show, has been a drama teacher in Southern Maine for over 30 years. She was the program and summer stock theater director at Point Sebago Resort for 20 years, and when she retired, she returned to educational theatre.

Drama, she said, is the most amazing confidence builder, and not just on stage. “It’s handling situations, thinking quickly, it’s being able to work as a team,” she said. “Theatre brings a community together, it brings a cast together. Everybody has equal footing,” she said. And that includes not only cast members on stage, but technical crew, stage crew, and anyone else involved.

Student cast members said that the show gives them an opportunity to meet new people and get involved. Eighth-grader Elijah Strom, who plays Akela and Colonel Hathi, said he started doing shows when he was very young, encouraged by Doherty. “I loved it. It was very fun,” he said of that first experience. “I am happy to see her again, to do another show with her and learn some more,” Strom added.

Noah Mains, a seventh-grader, plays Shere Khan. He has been involved in theater at JSMS for three years. He enjoys doing plays because, “It gives me something to do instead of sitting at home doing nothing,” he said.

Sixth grader Noah Campbell agrees. Campbell plays Baloo in the show, and this is his second year doing theater. “It gives me something to do after school, other than sit home and play video games and watch TV,” he said. He really enjoys performing for an audience, he added, and though he was nervous about his first show last year, this year he isn’t feeling nervous, he said.

Leila Laszok, a fifth-grader, is playing the role of Mowgli, and this is her first show ever, she said. She’s excited to finally be able to participate, something she has looked forward to since elementary school, she said. Playing a major role feels good, but is also scary, she said. “I like meeting new friends in here,” she added.

Meeting new friends from the whole range of grades is one benefit of participating, the cast members said. “When you’re in school, normally fifth-graders don’t talk to eight-graders,” Campbell said. Now, he added, kids from a range of grade levels can have real conversations with each other.

Laszok said that being involved in drama gives her something to look forward to at school. Mains agreed. “It’s definitely my favorite part of the school day,” he said.

The cast members said they have a lot of fun together, and they are excited about the costumes this year. They agreed that dancing and memorizing lines are among the most challenging aspects of doing a show. Learning to improvise is important, they all said. Strom said he learned this important skill from Doherty. “Even if I mess up, I’m still going to keep it going, and just have fun with it,” he said.

“Jungle Book Kids” will be presented on Friday, March 29^th at 7 p.m., and Saturday, March 30^th at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m at Jordan-Small Middle School. Tickets can be purchased at the door.