10 girls vying for 2017 Queen Jubilee title

VW independent/submitted information

Ten Van Wert County high school senior girls are seeking the title of Queen Jubilee at this year’s Peony Festival Pageant, to be held at 7 p.m. this Friday, April 7. As it has for a couple of decades, the pageant will be held this year in the Marsh Foundation Auditorium on Lincoln Highway.

Candidates for 2017 Peony Festival queen include the following:

Rebecca Fett, representing Spencerville High School, is the daughter of Kevin and Jacqie Fett and has a brother, Kody. She is a member of the Spencerville Women’s Choir, Full Choir, Varsity Show Choir, Band, and National Honor Society. She also participates in Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Color Guard, and the Art Club. She had the lead role of Jasmine in the school musical, Aladdin.

She is a member of the Girl Scouts and received a bronze award for volunteering for the fire department and a silver award for volunteering at Guiding Light Women’s Home. She also volunteers as a helper at the elementary school. In her spare time, she loves to sing and read.  She also enjoys spending time with friends and family.

After graduation, she plans on attending Bowling Green State University, majoring in early childhood education. When asked why she wanted to be in the pageant and crowned Queen Jubilee, she stated that since she wants to be in early childhood education in the future that it is important that she be a good role model for younger children.

She wants to set a good example for others. When she was in middle school, she was bullied and she overcame that and she wants to show others that you can overcome things and that anything is possible.

Estee Miller, representing Paulding High School, is the daughter of Mike and Deedi Miller.  She has two siblings, Ellie and Aiden.  She is the Senior Class President, Student Council Vice President, and Treasurer of the FFA. She is also a member of the Quiz Bowl, engineering team, and the Pep Club.  She participated in the Science Fair and is a Science Olympiad. Estee is active in the Y Disciple Group, Oakwood Arbor, and the Oakwood Homecoming Committee.

She is the secretary of the Junior Leaders and is a member of the Junior Fair Board. She is involved in 4-H and worked as a camp counselor at Camp Palmer 4-H Camp.  She enjoys spending time volunteering for her local library and in the community.  She spends a lot of time studying and preparing for FFA competitions.

After high school, she plans on attending Bowling Green State University, studying Early Childhood Education. Estee felt that being in the pageant and crowned Queen Jubilee would be an honor. It would be a chance to showcase what she has accomplished and show the hard work that she has put into the community.

Madeleine Ford, representing Parkway High School, is the daughter of the late Matthew Ford and Annie Ford. She has six siblings- Dustin Ford, Samantha Norris, Michael Ford, Josh Ford, Lexie Ford, and A.J. Ford. In school, she is a member of Future Teachers of America and Future Farmers of America.  She is a member of the drama club and was in the Shrek musical. She attends St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Rockford where she volunteers to clean.

She also volunteers at the nursing home and enjoys helping others in the community. She is interested in young children and is a helper in the first grade classroom.

After graduation, she is planning on going to Wright State University-Lake Campus, studying nursing. Madeleine loves everything about pageants and she felt that being in the pageant would be a great opportunity to meet new friends.

Rachel Davis, representing Van Wert High School, is the daughter of Thad and Kathleen Davis. She has three siblings, Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Thad. She is a member of the marching band, Symphonic Band, and the Quiz Bowl. She also takes AP Psychology and AP Literature classes. She attends Van Wert First Church of God and is a member of the youth group.

She takes piano and voice lessons. She likes to read and participate in media analysis. After high school, she plans to attend Sarah Lawrence College in New York, studying Psychology.  Rachel thought that it would be a fun experience to be in the pageant. She has never really been the glamorous type or into fashion and she thought that it would show other girls in the community that there is more than one way to be beautiful.

Brooke Lelonek, representing Wayne Trace High School, is the daughter of Brent Lelonek and Angela Teagle, and has a brother, Gage Waltmire. During her time in high school she has participated in basketball, volleyball, softball, and cheerleading.

She is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, choir, and Spirit Club. She was a Buckeye State representative last year and started the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at her school.  She has been in the school musical for the past four years, is a member of the prom committee, and assists the athletic department.

She has worked a lifeguard at the YMCA and Camp Clay.  She is also employed by David’s Bridal in Fort Wayne.  She is very active in two churches, Freedom Church and Edgerton Wesleyan. She attended a mission trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and has participated in lots of projects and community service.  She is also a Sunday school teacher.

In her spare time, she is interested in church, Bible Study, and growing in her faith. After graduation, she plans on attending Taylor University with a double major in social work and Christian ministries.

When asked why she wanted to be in the pageant and possibly be Queen Jubilee, she stated that it would be her last opportunity to represent her school and she wants others to be encouraged to do the same thing.

She feels that it would give her a great experience and an opportunity to expound on her confidence and help her to be comfortable in who she is. She feels that it will be a great opportunity to get to know other people. She would love to be a good representative for herself and for the pageant. She is the first in her family to go to college and the scholarships would help her to finance her education.

Kiya Wollenhaupt, representing Delphos Jefferson High School, is the daughter of David and Robin Wollenhaupt. She has six siblings, Erik, Keri, Adam, Marc, Seth and Kurt. She is involved with soccer, basketball, softball, band, choir, show choir, and the school musical. She is a member of Student Council, National Honor Society, Junior Optimist, Yearbook staff, and is a class officer. She competed in the Delphos Canal Days Pageant the past three years.

Kiya does volunteer work with the Kiwanis Club. She enjoys scrapbooking and babysitting her nieces and nephew. Kiya plans to study law at Ohio Northern University. She thinks it is great that we include Delphos schools in the pageant. As Queen Jubilee, she would strive to be a good role model for the younger generation and show that you can be involved in a lot of positive things.

Zoey Porter, representing Vantage Career Center, is the granddaughter of Phil and Pat Lawrence. Zoey has two brothers, Zac and Drew.

She is a member of National Honor Society and a student ambassador at Vantage. She is also the president of Early Childhood FCCLA. Zoey has volunteered with Kids Against Hunger and at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima. She is also employed at Wyngate Senior Assisted Living Community in Lima.

Zoey enjoys going to the gym, as well as spending time with her boyfriend and his family. She plans to attend Rhodes State University to become a registered nurse and a BSN later. Zoey wanted to step out of her comfort zone to be a part of the pageant. She is interested in the scholarship opportunity and wants to demonstrate to others the importance of a positive direction.

Courtney Cearns, representing Crestview High School, is the daughter of Paul and Diana Cearns. She has one brother, Cameron.

Courtney is a member of National Honor Society, band, FCCLA, and the Knight Vision Show Choir. She attends Calvary Evangelical Church, where she participates in the youth group and plays keyboard for the its worship team. Courtney enjoys reading, music, and Netflix in her spare time. She plans to major in early childhood education at either Mount Vernon or Malone University.

Courtney says she wants to be Queen Jubilee because she has attended the pageants since she was a little girl. She is proud to represent her school and community — and to be a part of Van Wert history.

Alexis Deffenbaugh, representing Delphos St. John’s High School, is the daughter of Rusty Deffenbaugh and Brenda Bartz. She has two brothers, Aaron and Nash.

She is a member of marching band, pep band, concert band, choir, school musical, liturgy team, SADD, National Honor Society, and FTA (Future Teachers of America). Alexis has been involved with the Delphos Canal Days Pageant for the past two years and she was crowned queen in 2016.

She attends St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, where she is part of the youth choir, and serves as a cantor, distributes communion, is a lector, and mass server. Her interests include playing the guitar, ukulele, and music in general.

Her plans after graduation are to attend Bowling Green State University to major in music education and eventually become a band director. Alexis is excited to be a part of the pageant, meet the other candidates and make new friends. As Queen Jubilee, she would be a good role model and represent DSJ High School well.

Katlyn Wendel, representing Lincolnview High School, is the daughter of Kyle and Christie Wendel. She has two sisters, Courtney and Carly. Katlyn is president of Beta Club and National Honor Society at Lincolnview. She is an FCA leader, choir president, and is on the Spirit Squad. She has competed in track. Katlyn is a member of the basketball and volleyball teams, and has served as captain for two years in both sports.

She attends First United Methodist Church in Van Wert, where she has been involved with the soup kitchen and mission trip to St Louis, Missouri. Katlyn enjoys piano, singing, shopping, and spending time with friends and family. She plans to major in piano performance at Bowling Green State University and eventually work in music therapy. She is proud to represent her school and the community in the pageant and appreciates the great opportunity to be part of such a well-rounded group of girls. She has attended the pageant for years.