Senior Elleana McConnell was crowned the winner of the 2025 Harvest Princess Pageant on Sept. 6 in the Milton High School Auditorium.
“I was very happy and then I was surprised. I couldn’t believe it at first, and it was just an amazing experience,” Elleana said.
Both Elleana’s mom and aunt participated in the pageant when they were high school seniors. “So I just thought to kind of follow the chain,” she said.
“My mom and I would practice every night on a part of my speech at a time and make sure I could memorize it,” Elleana added.
According to Elleana, the contestants had rehearsals every Sunday for six weeks where they practiced talking in front of a crowd and giving their speech.
“I just made sure to look out in the crowd, not at people’s eyes basically,” she added.
To get a sponsor for the pageant, the contestants’ names are listed and sent out to the community and organizations where they will select a student to represent them, Elleana explained. Her sponsor was the Milton Public Library.
The contestants also had an advisor who helped them throughout the competition and during rehearsals. “My advisor was my aunt, so she was very, very helpful for me,” Elleana said.
Ms. Sarah Dries helped organize the 2025 Harvest Princess Pageant.
Ms. Dries said she had participated in the pageant in her senior year in 2001. “I wanted to help with the committee to make sure that future girls had the same positive experience that I had and to make sure the tradition continues,” she added.
“All of the girls came to rehearsal prepared and had good ideas of what to have in their speeches. They all listened to their advisors and pageant committee and applied the feedback as necessary,” Ms. Dries said.
The pageant committee contacts organizations that sponsor the pageant and make sure that they can participate. The committee plans rehearsals and works with the high school and pageant venue to plan the pageant. They are also responsible for finding entertainment, judges, tabulators and emcee, Ms. Dries added.
“Rehearsals were progressive over six weeks. The first two weeks focus on the introduction and speech.” Ms. Dries said. “The last two rehearsals are done at the high school so they can get a feel of what it is like to be on stage under the lights.”
“I do recommend participating in the pageant. It is a great way to practice public speaking along with getting to meet and see a lot of people and organizations in the community,” Ms. Dries said.
The princesses participated in the Harvest Festival parade, and Elleana will participate in the Christmas tree lighting, the Fourth of July parade and crown next year’s pageant winner.
The contestants spent considerable time together around the community and rehearsing. “We just kind of connected just because like we were all just being friendly with each other, and then we just kind of clicked,” Ellena said.
Milton also runs a pageant for younger girls, called Little Miss (ages 4-7) and Junior Miss (ages 8-11.) Eleana was the Little Miss runner up in 2013 and the Little Miss winner in 2014.
According to Elleana, she is a part of the ACE program at Bloomsburg, participates in Milton’s co-op program with Geisinger and plays field hockey.
Elleana said she plans to get her doctorate degree and become an athletic trainer for a college or the National Football League.
