Editor,

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them. — John F. Kennedy.

On March 9 at the third annual Miss Oak Harbor Scholarship Pageant, we crowned our 2017 Miss and Teen Miss Oak Harbor royalty. In our third and biggest year yet, we supported 25 contestants through our six-week program and ended the evening by awarding over $14,000 in scholarships and awards. We continue to prove that this is not a beauty pageant but rather a program designed to encourage, inspire and recognize the many achievements of the young women in our community.

The success of this program is not possible without the generous support of our sponsors. We humbly thank them for their continued support and contributions.

We would also like to thank our Mistress of Ceremonies, Erica Wasinger; our auditors, Kathy Jolly and Ronnie Wright of Pacific Grace Tax &Accounting; and our judges, Miss Washington 2016 Alicia Cooper, Chris Skinner, Jeff McMahan, Julie Langrock and Nora O’Connell-Balda.

We acknowledge special appreciation for our backstage crew and pageant-night helpers: Abbie Martin, Cati Cosper, Cheryl Jandzinski, Coreen Lerch, Jennifer Shelton, Jim Nelson, Michelle O’Kelley Powers, Miranda Engle, OHHS NJROTC Color Guard, Michele Chapman, Tyler Fitzgerald, Anna Fitzgerald, Vic Rikard and Wildcat TV.

We are so fortunate to live in such a caring and generous community that has a deep understanding of the value of our youth. We thank our supporters for their continued investment in our program, our contestants for their unflagging commitment to the program and its process, and the families who shared their daughters with us and cheered them on each week.

Jes Walker-Wyse

River Powers

Mollie Brodt

Shannon Lonborg

Pageant Wyse Board of Directors