By DEBRA HAIGHT

Special to the Niles Daily Star

 

BUCHANAN — Buchanan High School senior Marissa Claxton felt both surprise and pleasure when the Miss Buchanan crown was placed on her head Saturday night. Marissa was chosen from a field of nine contestants and will compete in March with other community queens for the Miss Blossomtime title.

“I don’t know what to say,” Marissa said when asked how she felt right after the crowning. “I was surprised. Any one of us could have won.”

She said that she enjoyed the whole experience of being part of the pageant, which was the first beauty contest she had ever entered.

Saturday’s Miss Buchanan pageant was held in the Buchanan High School auditorium before a crowd of 600 people. Saturday’s contest theme was “Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?” in keeping with the overall Blossomtime theme of “Rhyme Time.”

The dog theme was carried out in a number of ways during the contest as the Miss Buchanan 2014 court did a dance number to “Who Let The Dogs Out” and 2015 contestants all had to answer a final question of “if you could be any breed of dog, what would you be and why?”

Each of the girls answered with a different dog breed with Marissa saying she’d be a labrador retriever. “They’re very smart, very loyal and not to mention super cute,” she said.

The new queen is 17 and the daughter of Jerry and Cindy Claxton. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a champagne colored gown with capped sleeves and a sweetheart neckline.

Her school activities include National Honor Society, Student Council and varsity sideline cheerleading. She also has been a member of the varsity soccer team, the yearbook club, the spirit club and the prom committee. She plans to attend college in Michigan and follow a pre-med course of study.

She said she decided to enter the Miss Buchanan pageant primarily because she loves her community.

“Buchanan is an amazing community with a lot of opportunities to offer, “ she wrote in her pageant biography. “I would love nothing else than to compete for a title to represent my community that I have fallen in love with.”

She received a $1,000 scholarship from the Buchanan Masonic Lodge.

Berrien Springs High School senior Michaela Scoggin was crowned First Runner-up. She is 17 and the daughter of Dawn Robinson and Jeff Scoggin. She follows in the footsteps of her older sister, Desiree, who was Miss Buchanan 2013.

Her high school activities include cheerleading, volleyball and soccer. She is also the vice-president of the student council and vice-president of the senior class. Her future plans include attending Lake Michigan College and then Michigan State to obtain a degree in veterinary medicine.

Crowned Second Runner-up was Buchanan High School senior Samantha Dehring. She is 17 and the daughter of Kirk and Janet Dehring.

Her school activities include soccer, Project Close-Up and National Honor Society where she is the secretary. She is also dual enrolled at Lake Michigan College where she is a member of Phi Theta Kappa. She plans to attend Michigan State University to major in veterinary medicine.

Buchanan High School senior Devann Jordan was chosen Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants. She is 17 and the daughter of Matt Jordan and Jennifer Bailey.

Her school activities include art club, spirit club and being the school mascot. She was named Art Student of the Year in 2014 by the Fine Arts Council. She also volunteers with the Buchanan Westerners 4-H Club. She plans to enlist in the Air Force.

Other contestants were Chelsey Bennett, Morgan Cabanaw, Gabrielle Patton, Ember House and Gabriela Copeland.

Random drawing $500 scholarships went to Michaela Scoggin, Edgewater Bank; Chelsey Bennett, Redbud Insurance; Devann Jordan, Harold Gaul Memorial; and Morgan Cabanaw, Maureen Carr Memorial.

Buchanan attorney John Colip served as master of ceremonies. Judges were Patricia Kuntz, Gail Janssen and Tracy Urbanski. Marie Summers was the pageant director.