Miss Ohio & Miss Michigan Jr. High, High School, and Collegiate America 2017

The winners of the 2017 Miss Ohio & Miss Michigan Jr. High, High School, and Collegiate America Pageant were crowned in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, November 27th in front of a large crowd of friends, family, professionals from the pageant community and visiting royalty.

In attendance was Miss High School America herself, Kennedy Chase. Kennedy is the second Miss Ohio High School America to take home the National title in the last four years.

Kennedy and her sister queens all returned to say farewell and pass on their crowns to their successors.

Let’s meet the winners!

On her way to Nationals sporting the Miss Ohio Junior High School America title is Haley Thomas.

Haley is no stranger to the pageant stage. She has held over eight titles in the last six years! This thirteen-year0-old honor student is also the captain of the junior high volleyball team, is a card-carrying member of the Cherokee Indian Nation, and has even taken online courses at Stanford University.

Alongside her sister, Haley founded an organization called Pageantry Supporting Patriots and coordinated a gift drive for veterans this year.

Representing the Junior High division for Michigan is Maddison Kott, a fifth grader from Troy, Michigan.

What she lacks in stature, this eleven-year-old competitor makes up for in personality.

Maddison is the daughter of two police officers, and she has held leadership roles on her school’s safety patrol for three years. She was the National American Miss National Princess in 2014 and has modeled for pageant gown designer Rachel Allan. Madison participates in the “Run with Cops, Not from Them” Charity 5k and volunteers every year for the American Cancer Society.

Miss Ohio High School America 2017 is Gracyn Blackmore.

Gracyn says she is excited to encourage others to believe in themselves using the B.R.A.V.E. platform, which stands for building respect and values for everyone. This former Miss Virginia Teen USA titleholder participates in local community service projects like volunteering at a nearby soup kitchen as well as national efforts such as Relay for Life and Special Olympics events.

When she’s not on stage, Gracyn takes advanced placement classes at her school where she is an honor student and the only girl on her school’s robotics team.

Representing the Great Lakes State at Miss High School America 2017 is Emi Reindle.

Emi boasts a 4.3 GPA as a scholar-athlete excelling in both volleyball and STEM studies. Emi’s community service efforts range from collecting canned goods, to hosting a fundraiser to benefit the Children’s Tumor Foundation, to advocating for young adults with chronically ill parents. Although she was born in Seoul, South Korea, Emi is one-quarter Japanese. She can also recite every element on the periodic table in song.

When it comes to promoting the BRAVE platform, Emi says she has what it takes because she has experienced bullying herself. As a state titleholder, Emi is excited about the opportunity to speak to people of all ages about the importance of building respect and values for everyone.

Kent State University sophomore, Deneen Penn, is your new Miss Ohio Collegiate America 2017.

Deneen is the recipient of several prestigious college scholarships and community service awards including the Community Star Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, awarded to her for her exemplary efforts donating healthy meals to Ohio’s youth. In partnership with the United Way of Trumbull County, Deneen helped donate 600 backpacks full of books and supplies to local schools, and she has spoken to classrooms on countless occasions about the importance of making a difference in the community.

When she’s not studying for her business degree, Deneen can be found in the water. She enjoys scuba diving, water skiing, and boating.

Headed to Nationals as Miss Michigan Collegiate America 2017 is Iris Robare.

This Michigan State Spartan is uniquely involved in her community and state through youth government programs where she served as Michigan Youth Governor during 2014 and 2015. Iris worked alongside Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley to improve the effectiveness of Michigan’s behavioral and mental healthcare system, and she is employed as a research assistant for the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. Over the summer, Iris studied abroad at the University of Oxford.

Her accomplishments have carried her all the way to the Pentagon, and Iris is confident that she could provide leadership and inspiration to the nation if crowned Miss Collegiate America 2017.

Surprise! We’re taking one more lucky girl to Nationals with us, and that’s Sydney Copeland, your Miss Indiana High School America 2017!

Sydney is the captain of her school’s volleyball and cheerleading team, the founder of a children’s charity called “Jacob’s Wish,” and the recipient of the Kohl’s Cares Kids Regional Scholarship. Sydney is active in her community, collecting thousands of dollars and hundreds of Pillow Pets to be donated to children’s hospitals and serving meals at her local homeless shelter on Thanksgiving. She competed as an Irish Dancer for five years, and although she struggles with dyslexia, she has taken advanced placement English classes since junior high.

If crowned Miss High School America, Sydney hopes to encourage young girls to never give up on their dreams and to stay true to themselves in addition to spreading the BRAVE message.

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Congratulations, girls! We are so proud of you and excited for the year ahead.

Follow these gorgeous young ladies on their road to the crown by following our pageant on Facebook!