Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen Candidates From Potter, McKean, And Tioga Counties

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Miss Williamson Madisen Cody



Miss Madisen Mae Cody is representing Williamson Junior-Senior High School and her community as a Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen candidate.

She is the daughter of Tiffany Hazlett and Michael Cody, both of Tioga.

All four years of high school Miss Cody was on high honor roll and a member of the softball team (captain as a senior), volleyball team (captain as a junior and senior), and student council (treasurer as a junior and co-president as a senior).

As a senior, she was a National Honor Society member; as a sophomore and junior, a member of the history club; and as a sophomore and a senior was recognized as an Every Day Hero by the First Heritage Federal Credit Union and WENY-TV.

From June through August 2019, Miss Cody was a volunteer with the Green Home’s Activities Department taking meals to residents, helping them with activities and any other needs they had. From November 2020 to the present, she has volunteered once a month at the Calvary United Methodist Church in Lawrenceville.

Her hobbies include hunting, fishing, sports, reading, and spending quality time with her family.

She worked at Tioga Twist from 2018 to 2020 and has been employed at Lil’ Half Pint since 2020.

Miss Cody is enlisting for active duty in the United States Navy as an E1 or Seaman Recruit. On July 17, she will leave to attend boot camp at Naval Station Great Lakes, north of Chicago. She wants to serve as a hospital corpsman. Miss Cody plans to attend Mansfield University online after graduating from advanced individual training (AIT) in March of 2022. Her career goal is to become a Navy medical laboratory technician and after her time in the military to become a laboratory scientist. 

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Miss Wellsboro Alexis Banik

Miss Alexis Banik is representing Wellsboro Area High School and her community as a Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen candidate.

She is the daughter of Lisa and Stephen Banik of Charleston Township.

All four years of high school, Miss Banik was on the distinguished honor roll, was in the Wellsboro High School Chorus (treasurer as a sophomore and junior), sang soprano in the women's ensemble, lettered in varsity track and field, and was a member of the Grand Canyon FFA earning numerous awards.

As a senior, she played on the girls’ varsity tennis team, was captain and second seeded singles player. As a junior and senior, she was National Honor Society secretary.

Miss Banik studied dance from age four to 16 at Rhythm’s Academy of Dance, including ballet, tap, modern, pointe, jazz and musical theater. She competed at both nationals and worlds. 

Since the fifth grade, she has been an altar server at St. Peter’s Catholic Church and taught Sunday school all four years of high school.

Miss Banik has been a Hare Raisers Club member since fifth grade (current president; also served as vice president, secretary and treasurer).

As a sophomore, junior and senior, she was a member of the Dickens Choir and of the Connect 4 peer support and mentor group. As a freshman, sophomore and junior, she was on the varsity cross country team and lettered.

Her hobbies include fishing, baking, painting, running, and raising rabbits, chickens, and peafowl.

In her freshman year, she worked at the Frog Hut restaurant and since her sophomore year has been employed at the Steak House restaurant as a dishwasher and doing food prep.

This fall, she will attend Penn State University in State College, and major in veterinary and biomedical sciences, a four-year program. She then plans to continue her studies for four more years to become a large and small animal veterinarian with her own clinic.

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Miss North Penn-Mansfield Aubrey Griess

Miss Aubrey Griess is representing North Penn-Mansfield High School and her community as a Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen candidate.

She is the daughter of Erin and Greg Griess of Richmond Township.

Miss Griess was on high honor roll all four years of high school and a member of the National Honor Society as a sophomore, junior and senior. She was a member of the Miss Mansfield Court as a senior, ski club as a sophomore and junior, and played saxophone in the band as a freshman and sophomore.

As a sophomore, junior and senior, she was a varsity player on the tennis team (was in district doubles tournament as a junior; first seed in singles and in district singles tournament as a senior). From the age of three to 17, she studied dance at First Position Dance Studio and at 17 was the teacher’s assistant, choreographing, selecting music and costumes and teaching dance routines. From seventh to eleventh grade, she was an altar server at Holy Child Catholic Church.

Since her sophomore year, she has been employed at Lil' Half Pint in Richmond Township after school and on weekends during the spring and fall months and on weekdays and weekends in the summer months. Her duties include opening and closing, being a cashier, taking customer orders, and general housekeeping and maintenance.

Her hobbies include fishing, skiing, tennis, golf, and dance.

This fall, Miss Griess will attend Slippery Rock University to major in secondary education for biology.

Her goal is to become a high school biology teacher and be involved in students learning and bettering their education.


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Miss North Penn-Liberty Ryann Upham

Miss Ryann Upham is representing North Penn-Liberty High School and her community as a Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen candidate.

She is the daughter of Angela Upham of Liberty Township and Brett Upham of Jackson Township.

All four years of high school, Miss Upham has sung alto in chorus and been a member of student council (parliamentarian as a sophomore, vice president as a junior and president as a senior), Culture Club, Key Club, Steam (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) team, and the Southern Tioga Mini-Thon (president as a senior). From May through August 2018 to 2021, she was a Liberty Area Café volunteer developing data sheets and organizing purchases.

She was a varsity player on the North Penn Liberty girls’ basketball team (captain as a junior and senior) and on the North Penn Mansfield girls’ soccer team all four years of high school. From January through March 2018 to 2021, Miss Upham was an Elementary Basketball Program coach and volunteer teaching basketball skills to kindergarteners through sixth graders.

As a senior, Miss Upham was Class of 2021 vice president and a member of the homecoming court.  She was a member of the National Honor Society as a junior and senior; the Big Buddy Program as a sophomore, junior and senior; and the Future Business Leaders of America as a freshman, junior and senior (as a junior placed first at regionals and sixth at states for publication design).

She worked at the Landing Strip Restaurant from her sophomore year until it closed during the pandemic. She has been employed at Tioga County Greens since June 2020 picking, cleaning and packaging fresh hydroponic lettuce.

This fall, Miss Upham plans to attend Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia and take undecided business, an exploratory course, to help her decide what aspect of business she wants to pursue.


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Miss New Covenant Chloe Shandelle

Miss Chloe Shandelle Heck is representing New Covenant Academy and her community as a Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen candidate.

She is the daughter of Elaine and Robert Heck of Charleston Township.

All four years of high school, she was on honor roll and high honor roll; played guitar and sang soprano in the Marsh Creek Fellowship Baptist Church Choir and served as a Vacation Bible School and church nursery helper; and did farm work every Saturday. For eight years, from fifth grade through twelfth grade, she has taken guitar lessons.

Miss Heck has done community service work at New Covenant Academy, His Thousand Hills and Camp Susque.

For four years, through her sophomore year, she played defensive wing on the girls’ soccer team, and as a freshman and senior played on the girls' volleyball team.

This May, she joined the Praying Pelicans Missions to help the community of Dunlow, West Virginia clean up flooded areas.

Her hobbies include playing guitar, baking and cooking, crocheting, and hair styling.

Miss Heck has been employed to clean private homes after school on weekdays and on Saturdays for the past four years.

This September, she will attend the New York Beauty and Barber Academy in Elmira, N.Y. to take beauty, barbering and esthetics courses. Her career goal is to become a licensed cosmetologist and open a salon.


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Miss Cowanesque Valley Rylie Walker

Miss Rylie Walker is representing Cowanesque Valley High School and her community as a Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen candidate.

She is the daughter of Bonnie and Jeffrey Walker of Elkland.

All four years of high school, Miss Walker was on high honor roll and graduated as valedictorian of her class; was a four-year member of student council (Sergeant-at-Arms as a senior), the band (president as a senior) and the volleyball team (NTL Division II All-Stars and District IV A First Team as a junior and senior).

Her freshman through her junior years, she was on the softball team and participated in community food drives and recycling efforts.  

Miss Walker has been employed in the summer of her junior and senior years at Peaches N’ Cream in Painted Post, N.Y. as an ice cream server and cashier.

This fall, she will attend West Virginia University in Morgantown and will major in political science and minor in communications. 

Miss Walker plans to pursue a political career with the goal of becoming a representative in the U.S. Congress to give rural citizens a voice.


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Miss Austin Cierra Ann Marks

Miss Cierra Ann Marks is representing Austin Area High School and her community as a Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen candidate.

She is the daughter of Laura and Jerry Marks of Austin.

Miss Marks was on honor roll all four years of high school. As a senior, she was a yearbook staff member and chosen to represent her school as a queen candidate at the Flaming Foliage Festival in Renovo (cancelled due to the pandemic).

As a freshman and sophomore, she was vice president of her class, a middle setter on the Austin Panthers Volleyball team and a Spirit Club member, helping organize fun events, such as pep rallies and assemblies.

Through the co-op course at Seneca Highlands Career and Technical Center in Port Allegany, Miss Marks attended four high school morning classes (such as English, math, science, and history) and after lunch would go to work for eight hours at UPMC Cole as a dietary aid, making, serving, and delivering food to patients and co-workers. She also volunteered at the hospital and for Cole 5Ks.

This summer, Miss Marks is planning to move to Portland, Oregon to discover new job opportunities and explore new places.


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Miss Port Allegany Mallory Causer

Miss Mallory Causer is representing Port Allegany High School and her community as a Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen candidate.

She is the daughter of Melissa Causer of Port Allegany and Martin Causer of Annin Township. 

All four years of high school, Miss Causer was on the golf team and lettered each year; was a four-year member of the Varsity Club and president as a senior; was a four-year member of the Entrepreneurship Club, French Club (vice president as a senior) and Chamber Singers.

She played basketball from the fifth through twelfth grades, lettered as a junior and senior, and was captain as a senior.

Miss Causer was in concert choir from fourth through twelfth grades; concert band from fifth through twelfth grades; show choir from seventh through twelfth grades; Peer Helpers from eighth through twelfth grades and president as a senior; in jazz band as a sophomore, junior and senior; and in marching band for two years – in eighth grade and president as a senior.

She was on student council for three years - in eighth grade, as a junior and president as a senior.

In her sophomore year, Miss Causer performed at Carnegie Hall with the chamber singers and as a soloist with the concert choir at Disney World.

As a senior, she was selected as homecoming queen and for the prom court. As a junior and senior, she was a member of the National Honor Society (vice president as a senior) and was in Drama Club and participated in musicals. She won the perfect attendance award in her sophomore and junior years. 

Miss Causer has been employed as a certified lifeguard with the Port Allegany Recreational Authority in her sophomore, junior and senior years. 

This fall, she will attend Pennsylvania State University's Behrend Campus in Erie to major in pre-medicine. Her career goal is to become a physician.



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Miss Smethport Kaleigh Sanderson

Miss Kaleigh Sanderson is representing Smethport Area Junior-Senior High School and her community as a Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen candidate.

She is the daughter of Debra Meyers of Hamlin Township.

All four years of high school, Miss Sanderson was a member of her school’s concert choir, concert band and marching band, which performed at Disney World when she was a freshman. As a sophomore, junior and senior, she was in show choir and a cheerleader on the varsity squad. In her junior year, she was a member of Peer Helpers and was a peer tutor. 

As a junior, she worked as a cashier at Mt. Jewett Marketplace and is currently employed at Lantz Corners Nittany MinitMart.

This fall, Miss Sanderson will attend the pre-physical therapy program at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Her goal is to earn a bachelor's degree and become a traveling pediatric physical therapist.

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Miss Cameron County Kaelee Bresslin

Miss Kaelee Mae Bresslin is representing Cameron County High School and her community. She is the daughter of Mandy Songer of Emporium and Ryan Bresslin of Austin.

All four years of high school, Miss Bresslin was on high honor roll and graduated third in her class, was Envirothon team captain and a Spanish Club and student council member (president of both as a senior). 

She was a four-year member of the varsity basketball, volleyball and track and field teams and lettered in all three sports.

In basketball, Miss Bresslin scored 1000 points as a senior, making her the fifth leading scorer in girls' basketball history at her school. She was starting guard as a freshman and sophomore, on the NTL All Stars Team as a sophomore and junior, and team captain as a junior and senior.

In volleyball, she was a starting outside hitter, captain as a junior, co-captain as a senior and on the NTL All Stars team as a junior and senior.

In track and field events, Miss Bresslin competed in javelin,100m hurdles, 300m hurdles and high jump. As a senior she earned the most field points in track and the girls track team was this year's NTL champions.  

Miss Bresslin was a member of the Business Honor Society as a senior; the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society (president as a senior) and Mu Alpha Theta (mathematics honor society) as a junior and senior; and the Future Business leaders of America as a sophomore, junior and senior.

She was a lifeguard at her high school pool as a sophomore and junior and will be this summer. Her duties include supervising pool patrons and cleaning the pool and locker room. 

This fall, Miss Bresslin will be in the accelerated physician assistant program at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa. Her career goal is to become a physician assistant and work in dermatology. 

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