NEWBERRY — Emma Connelly has been named Miss Newberry Teen 2020 and has received a $500 scholarship. Her platform is SASH: Solutions for Substandard Housing. She has done hundreds of community service hours to build and repair homes for families and veterans in need.
Peyton Worley, senior at Newberry College and last year’s first runner-up, returned and took home a $1,000 scholarship as she became Miss Newberry 2020. Worley was awarded the Miss Newberry Miracle Maker Award and scholarship after raising nearly $1,100. Her platform is The Mind Matters: Stop the Stigma on Mental Health.
The four young ladies represented in the teen competition were Blakely Hendrix (15) of Mid-Carolina High School, Emma Connelly (15) of S.C. Connections Academy, Jade Hughes (15) of Newberry Academy and Alyssa Ward (14) from Newberry High School.
In the Miss category, ages 18-25, including Worley, there were eight women who hoped to wear the 2020 title. Aniya Mahaffey, junior at Newberry College, became first runner-up, was voted Miss Congeniality by fellow contestants and won the Miss Newberry Brand Ambassador award for total scholarships and prizes in excess of $2,500. Ashton Porter, sophomore at Newberry College, won the Honey Magnolia Studios Catie St. Catherine Fashion Award. She will be modeling for Honey Magnolia in a photo spread and participate in Fashion Week in Charlotte, N.C. and will be an honored guest at next summer’s Miss South Carolina Scholarship Competition. Karina Tarbell, 2018 graduate of Newberry College, Jaci Koon, senior, Meghan MacIntyre, senior and Sidney Tindall, sophomore, all of Newberry College, gave performances and offered significant awareness to their personal platforms. Elizabeth Sickelbaugh, junior, at Piedmont Technical College, gave a powerful monologue in support of her platform, as well.
In addition, all of the Miss contestants raised over $3,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals of S.C.
Worley and Connelly were crowned by outgoing Miss Newberry 2019, Gaalon Lukie, and Miss Newberry Teen 2019, Elizabeth Hunter. The Miss Newberry Scholarship Organization will assist both young women and position them to bring home as much as $60,000 or more in scholarship awards.
“The impact these girls have as role models and the contributions they make to our communities are unsurpassed. I hope that our community will continue to support these female leaders and enjoy the service impact each will have during this journey of personal and professional development. This is a year of service, not celebrity,” said Margaret Brackett, MNSO board member.
During the competition, Mayor Senn was on hand to praise what these young women have been doing across the county. In addition, South Carolina’s Outstanding Teen, Kellan Fenegan, spoke to the audience about the MSCSO and the impact it has had on her and her ability to make the world a better a place with Kellan’s Kloset. She is the founder of Families Fostering Hope which serves foster care children through Kellan’s Kloset. In the last year, more than 20,000 items such as blankets, pajamas, shoes, clothing and toiletry items have been donated to foster care children in seven states through Kellan’s Kloset.
Tamra Tootle, LED, and member of the MNSO, was delighted to see the community support for these fine, young ladies.
“Any one of these young ladies could have been our Miss Newberry or Miss Newberry Teen. We have high expectations for all of them and know that we will see much more about each one in the future,” she said.
The Miss Newberry Scholarship Organization awarded a prize package in excess of $5,000 to each Miss and Teen over and above her scholarship awards. Worley and Connelly will represent Newberry by competing in Columbia June 23-27, 2020.
