New crowns handed out at the Miss Cherokee pageant on August 5

In front of a crowd at the auditorium at Cherokee High School August 5, Sarita Kephart was crowned Miss Cherokee 2021, Riley Hensley Miss Cherokee High 2021 and Kaycie Shelton Junior Miss Cherokee by Miss Cherokee  2020 Callista Studer and Miss Cherokee High 2021, Madison Wheeler.

The contestant for Miss Cherokee was Sarita Kephart and her talent was a humorous monologue.

Miss Cherokee High was opened up to any girl who is a freshman through senior.

Hensley won the crown over first runner-up Baylee Oister and second runner-up Carson Schanbacher.

Schanbacher also took the interview award. Oister won the talent portion of the contest with her singing of “Part of Your World.”

Also competing along side the Miss Cherokee contestants were Mae Nevels, Lexi Williams, Korey Dooley and Kinsy Roberts. Roberts won Miss Congeniality.

Their talents were:

• Nevels: Tumbling routine.

• Schanbacher: Singing “Count on Me.”

• Williams: Hula Hoop Act.

• Dooley: Singing “If I Could Turn Back Time.”

• Roberts: Singing “This is Me.”

• Oister: Singing”Part of Your World.”

• Hensley: Comedy Act.

Junior Miss Cherokee was open to all female 2021-2022 7th and 8th grade students at Cherokee. The girls competed in interview, on stage question and poise and appearance.

Winning the Junior Miss Cherokee was Kaycie Shelton and Junior Miss Cherokee Congeniality was Mariella Herrera.

Serving as emcee for the event was Katelyn Hague.

Entertainment for the event was provided by Miss Cherokee 2020 Callista Studer and Miss Cherokee High 2020 Madison Wheeler, Miss Cherokee 2007 Blythe Bowers McMahan and Miss Cherokee 2009 Carrie Bowers Schanbacher.

Senior boys Lake Lyon, Gabe Wyatt, Evan Mitchell and Jacob Mustard brought laughter to the auditorium with their reenactment of Dirty Dancing.

Kephart will represent Cherokee High School during the Miss Cinderella Pageant, which will be held on the Campus of Northwestern Oklahoma State University as part of homecoming festivities.

Kephart received a $1,900 tuition scholarship to NWOSU.

Since Miss Cinderella began in 1952, three Miss Cherokee winners have gone on to win the crown, Jerry Jean Gragg, 1953; Jill Wright, 1966, and Michaelle McDaniel, 1981.

Hensley took home a $1,000 scholarship to any post secondary school for winning Miss Cherokee High, Oister $500 and Schanbacher $250. 

The money will be awarded to them during their senior spring assembly.