Student, classmates ‘raisin’ the roof after she wins national contest

POCAHONTAS, Ark. (KAIT) - Horns blared as the band performed for the entire fourth grade. One student danced along, oblivious to the fact that the assembly was all for her.

Madelynn Moffett--with a little help from her mother, Sherrill--started a social media campaign to garner votes for the national Sun-Maid Board of Imagination Competition.

For the competition, she wrote a short story about a raisin and made a video. In late February, she was named one of 11 finalists across the United States, and the only one from Arkansas.

Then, she stepped her campaign up a notch.

We interviewed Madelynn in early March where she pleaded with voters across Region 8 to help her get past the finish line. Well, the results are in.

Friday morning, the Pocahontas High School Band acted as a cover story to get all the fourth graders at M.D. Williams Intermediate School into the gymnasium.

Following a handful of songs, the principal interrupted the assembly.

As the announcement was made that she was one of six winners, she hugged her best friend and held back tears.

Her mother and grandparents, who traveled several hours to be there, were not as successful in fighting the waterworks.

A girl who loves to perform was the center of attention as she was celebrated in front of her entire class with a backing band. She’s a natural Frank Sinatra that does everything “Her Way.”

She was as shocked as ever when the balloons came out.

“I was shaking and I told my best friend ‘What is happening?’ I was so scared, like, what if I won? And I’m like, why are they bringing out raisin stuff? And I was confused but I was like ‘Oh! This might lead to something,’” she said with a giggle.

Her win awards her a $5,000 scholarship for college, a spot on the Board of Imagination for a year, and a trip to California at the end of April. Additionally, her school will receive a $5,000 grant and a year’s worth of Sun-Maid products.

She thanked everyone who helped her win and had a special, pun-inspired message for her biggest supporters: “I want to thank my parents for raisin me.”

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