Mattapoisett native and Old Rochester Regional graduate Jillian Zucco received approval from the School Committee Wednesday night to host a pageant for girls with special needs, whether verbal, mental or physical.

Zucco, a nursing student at UMass Dartmouth and the 2016 Miss South Coast, said, “I want to focus on ability and empowerment. They exceed expectations and break boundaries every day.”

As an ORR alum, Zucco said she was proud of the accessibility at the high school.

“I need a venue that is very handicap accessible, and there’s no stage as handicap accessible as ORR,” said Zucco, who also runs the Showstoppers performing group with her mother.

She asked the School Committee to waive the usual $650 rental fee for the auditorium due to the nature of the event, which would be a fundraiser for Boston Children’s Hospital – a place she described as “near and dear” to her heart because she was a patient there herself as a kid.

Zucco proposed the event for Friday, May 6, a day when the janitorial staff would already be in the building, therefore causing the school no extra expense. Although not at the meeting, Facilities Director Gene Jones had already given his approval of the plan, but it was up to the School Committee to waive the fee.

The members unanimously approved Zucco’s request and praised her efforts.

“I think this is a stellar idea,” said Cheryl Hebert.