MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cassidy Grimes, Public Relations Director
251.622.5335 (office) cassidy@ajm.org

AMERICA’S JUNIOR MISS TO WELCOME CLASS OF 2009 TO MOBILE

The National Office of America’s Junior Miss is pleased to announce that it will welcome the Class of 2009 to Mobile, AL on Monday, June 15th, 2009, for the 52nd Annual National Finals. One contestant from every state will compete for a share of $125,000 in college scholarships and the title of America’s Junior Miss 2009.

The contestants will stay in Mobile until June 28th, 2009, and will prepare for the finals throughout their stay. In addition, the participants will enjoy various activities throughout the Mobile community and participate in a “Be Your Best Self” Day to serve Mobile area service projects.

The young women who will compete in the 2009 National Finals are as follows:
(State – Name; Hometown; High School)

• Alabama's Junior Miss - Kathryn Tully; Birmingham; Mountain Brook High School
• Alaska's Junior Miss - Anastasia Brease; Healy; Tri-Valley High School
• Arizona's Junior Miss - Alexis Flake; Mesa; Mountain View High School
• Arkansas' Junior Miss - Mackenzie Hull; Little Rock; Central Arkansas Christian High School (CAC)
• California's Junior Miss - Lauren Xie; Rohnert Park; Montgomery High School
• Colorado's Junior Miss - Lauren Detwiler; Windsor; Alpha Omega Academy
• Connecticut's Junior Miss - Nicole Dansereau; Wallingford; Mark T. Sheehan High School
• Delaware's Junior Miss - Cassidy Seabolt; Georgetown; Sussex Central High School
• Florida's Junior Miss - Laura Moore; Tallahassee; Lawton Chiles High School
• Georgia's Junior Miss - Abbey Hufstetler; Cartersville; Woodland High School
• Hawaii's Junior Miss - Alyssa Alysson Ochiai; Honolulu; Iolani School
• Idaho's Junior Miss - Kayla Hoover; Idaho Falls; Hillcrest High School
• Illinois' Junior Miss - Betsy Kuckuk; O'Fallon; Ofallon Township High School
• Indiana's Junior Miss - Whitney Johnson; Portage; Portage High School
• Iowa's Junior Miss - Nadia Hlebowitsh; Iowa City; Iowa City West High
• Kansas' Junior Miss - Mallory Gilliland; Concordia; Concordia Junior/Senior High School
• Kentucky's Junior Miss - Michelle Rodgers; Winchester; George Rogers Clark High School
• Louisiana's Junior Miss - Taylor Hayden; Baton Rouge; St. Joseph's Academy
• Maine's Junior Miss - Hillary Hoyt; Frankfort; Searsport District High School
• Maryland's Junior Miss - Hannah Stone; Huntingtown; Huntingtown High School
• Massachusetts' Junior Miss - Alina Ostrow; Franklin; Franklin High School
• Michigan's Junior Miss - Joanna Bierlein; Bay City; Bay City Central High School
• Minnesota's Junior Miss - Carolyn Schmitz; Wells; United South Central High School
• Mississippi's Junior Miss - Sidney Anthony; Ridgeland; St. Andrew's Episcopal School
• Missouri's Junior Miss - Audrey Buxton; Springfield; Glendale High School
• Montana's Junior Miss - Julia Neaves; Missoula; Sentinel High School
• Nebraska's Junior Miss - Jordan Nelson; Omaha; Elkhorn High School
• Nevada's Junior Miss - Bonnie Brooksbank; Reno; Reno High School
• New Hampshire's Junior Miss - Nichole Iacuzio; Derry; Pinkerton Academy
• New Jersey's Junior Miss - Kaitlin Shaginaw; Atco; Hammonton High School
• New Mexico's Junior Miss - Taylor Muller; Los Lunas; Los Lunas High School
• New York's Junior Miss - Alissa Gee; Lyndonville; L.A. Webber Middle-High School
• North Carolina's Junior Miss - Anne Mills; Clemmons; Homeschool
• North Dakota's Junior Miss - Ashley Berg; Lisbon; Lisbon High School
• Ohio's Junior Miss - Yelena Arishina; Centerburg; Centerburg High School
• Oklahoma's Junior Miss - Catherine Rawls; Oklahoma City; Heritage Hall
• Oregon's Junior Miss - Courtney Grogan; Happy Valley; Clackamas High School
• Pennsylvania's Junior Miss - Elissa Houk; Bessemer; Mohawk Junior Senior High School
• Rhode Island's Junior Miss - Asia Turner; East Providence; East Providence High School
• South Carolina's Junior Miss - Lauren Cabaniss; Spartanburg; Paul M. Dorman High School
• South Dakota's Junior Miss - Anna Thvedt; Beresford; Beresford High School
• Tennessee's Junior Miss - Katharine Kolp; Hendersonville; Merrol Hyde Magnet School
• Texas' Junior Miss - Madison Greer; Dallas; Plano Senior High School
• Utah's Junior Miss - Ashley Bracey; Alpine; Lone Peak High School
• Vermont's Junior Miss - Alexandra Poirier; Colchester; Colchester High School
• Virginia's Junior Miss - Divya Srinivasan; Oakhill; Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technology
• Washington's Junior Miss - Polina Carlson; Leavenworth; Cascade High School
• West Virginia's Junior Miss - Elizabeth Goodall; Moorefield; Moorefield High School
  Wisconsin's Junior Miss - Samantha LaBrasca; Brookfield; Brookfield Central High School
• Wyoming's Junior Miss - Alexis Madden; Torrington; Torrington High School

In addition to preparing for the 52nd Annual National Finals, the AJM Class of 2009 will participate in the following events during their visit to Mobile:

• Monday, June 15 Junior Misses will arrive in Mobile in time for the 2009 Arrival Ceremony at Mobile Regional Airport.
• Tuesday, June 16
  Junior Misses will visit the historical Bellingrath Gardens & Home for what will be some of their first experiences eating Southern grits. Then Junior Misses will participate in ropes courses and teambuilding activities, have dinner with the special needs children, and receive a complete AJM orientation at Camp Grace,
• Wednesday, June 17
  Junior Misses will learn to line dance at the U.S.S. Alabama Battleship
• Thursday, June 18
  Junior Misses will share the Be Your Best Self program with the Mobile community through various community service projects sponsored by the Junior League of Mobile. Later that evening, the young women will visit the Mobile Mardi Gras Museum and enjoy a Mardi Gras picnic with their States Club sponsor and host families.
• Friday, June 19
  Junior Misses tour the University of South Alabama, one of the 200 plus colleges across the nation that offers scholarships to Junior Miss participants. Later, Junior Misses enjoy a Mardi Gras Ball, complete with escorts from one of Mobile’s Mardi Gras Societies and dates from the Gulf Coast area.
• Saturday, June 20
  Junior Misses meet the Mobile community through an autograph and photo session at the Bel Air Mall
• Sunday, June 21
  Junior Misses tour Fort Gaines and enjoy a day at the beach in Dauphin Island
• Monday, June 22
  Junior Misses compete in the traditional oyster eating contest at Wintzell’s Oyster House before enjoying AJM Night at the Hank to watch the Mobile BayBears play baseball with their assigned Girl Scout Troops
• Tuesday, June 23
  Junior Misses enjoy some relaxation time with their host families.
• Wednesday, June 24
  Junior Misses give the Mobile community a Sneak Peek of the finals at AJM Community Night
• Thursday & Friday, June 25 & 26
  Junior Misses are divided into 4 color groups and compete in fitness, talent and self-expression. Scholarships are awarded each evening at the conclusion of each program.
• Saturday, June 27
  Junior Misses enjoy food specialties from each state at the States Specialty Party. Later that evening the 10 finalists compete in fitness, self expression and talent. Scholarships are awarded and America’s Junior Miss 2009 is announced.

The 50 contestants will compete for a share of $125,000 in college scholarships and the title of America’s Junior Miss at the 52st Annual National Finals June 25, 26 & 27. The program will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. June 27 on WPMI-TV 15's Web site, www.nbc15online.com. National sponsors for 2009 are the City of Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama Power, Encore Rehabilitation, Mobile Gas, and Regions Bank.

America’s Junior Miss (AJM) is the nation’s oldest and largest scholarship program for college-bound high school senior women. The program, headquartered in Mobile, Alabama, began in 1958 and has since awarded more than $90 million in college scholarships at the local, state, and national levels. Over 700,000 young women from all over the country have participated in Junior Miss programs. AJM is proud to have the assistance of more than 17,000 volunteers throughout the United States, who help to make the Junior Miss program successful at the local and state levels.

For more information, please contact Cassidy Grimes, AJM Public Relations Director, at 251-622-5335 or cassidy@ajm.org, or visit www.ajm.org.

~AJM~