Miss Cassopolis pageant picks 2018 court
Published 9:44 am Thursday, December 7, 2017
CASSOPOLIS — Ross Beatty High School Student Hailey Wellman was all smiles Sunday afternoon as she stood, clad in a bright blue dress, on the stage at Ross Beatty Jr./Sr. High School and had a glittering crown placed atop her head.
Wellman was one of several local children and teens to walk away from Sunday’s Miss Cassopolis 2018 pageant with a title. In the Mr./Miss Cassopolis section, Wellman was named Miss Cassopolis, with Tierra Johnson being named second runner-up and Miss Congeniality and Selena McGrew being named first runner-up.
Daniel Young Jr. was named Mr. Cassopolis, with Chance Cook being named first runner-up and Khan Ratsamy being named second runner-up and Mr. Nice Guy. Courtney Sobieski became Cassopolis’ first Miss Teen Cassopolis and Miss Teen Congeniality, with Kennedy Brooks being named first runner-up and Paige Knepple being named second runner-up. Sophia Pompey was named Miss Jr. Teen Cassopolis, and Mitchell Conner was named Mr. Jr. Teen Cassopolis. Taking home the titles of Little Miss and Mr. Cassopolis were Khole McGrew and Wade Christopher, respectively.
With so many winners, Wellman and Young said that as Mr. and Mrs. Cassopolis 2018, they plan to set a good example for the younger children on the court and that they will be taking cues from the court that preceded them.
“I’m really excited to spend the next year with my amazing court,” Wellman said. “We’ve all grown up together, so I can’t wait to spend more time with them and represent my community. I just want to be the best I can be and always be there for [the younger girls on the court] to answer any questions they have, so they can learn and grow to be amazing girls.”
Young added that he has always looked up to the men before him that have represented Cassopolis as Mr. Cassopolis, and that he wants to have the younger boys on the court look up to him in the same way.
“This is a way to represent my community in a positive way,” Young said of his title as Mr. Cassopolis. “I’m planning on keeping my head high so that [the younger boys on the court] can be confident and know they can make a difference.”
As the first ever Miss Teen Cassopolis, Sobieski said that she cannot wait to learn more about court life from both Wellman and Young.
“Everyone is really great, and I can’t wait to spend time on the court,” she said. “I just hope I am able to represent Cassopolis positively.”
Wellman, Young and Sobieski said they have always wanted to be on the Miss Cassopolis court, and that they couldn’t be happier with the turnout of the pageant.
“I’m so, so excited,” Wellman said. “Being Ms. Cassopolis means a lot to me, as it means representing my community.”
