Don't forget to check out my pictures!

I've uploaded all of my pictures as Miss North Haven 2009. Don't forget to check them out!

My Pictures

Rising Star Pageant

Congratulations to all of our winners at the Rising Star Pageant. I helped take tickets at the door and it was wonderful to see everyone again! The talents were amazing!

Miss Bristol 2010

The first pageant of the season! Congrats to the new Miss Bristol Martha Price!

North Haven Italian Festival

Miss Connecticut 2009 Outstanding Teen Send-off

Miss Connecticut Outstanding Teen 2009, Acacia Courtney, Send-off party

Miss Connecticut 2009 Send-off

Lobster Bake to Benefit our Troops and Their Families

Miss Connecticut 2009

I didn't make the top 10 at Miss Connecticut this year but I really had a blast. We rehearsed all week and had two nights of preliminary competition before the final night on Saturday. I ended up taking home the non-finalist interview award!

Miss Connecticut Gala

The Miss Connecticut Gala was the week before the Miss Connecticut Pageant. Everyone had to make a hat to raffle off. My pat was Patriot - Fourth of July. My parents won my hat. The night was wonderful. It was a great way to relax before the start of pageant week!

Visit to North Haven

In June, I visited North Haven to thank the Miss North Haven sponsors and the local fire and police departments.

Life in Transit

I think it was Garth Brooks who had a song that went something like "Life is like a river, ever changing as it goes." Truer words were never written about my life.

So much has changed since my last post! I have not been good about posting since right before Miss Connecticut. Since my last post I have been traveling at break-neck speed through graduation, Pageant Week, internships, job hunting, getting a job, and moving.

If you are wondering what Miss North Haven is up to....the answer is, a lot! Over the next two weeks I will be posting pictures and filling in the gaps as I go.

Enjoy!

Cycle of Life the benefit Reach for the STARS Survivorship Program

From Cycle of Life to benefit Reach for the STARS Survivorship Program

Yesterday I had the honor of attending the Cycle of Life benefit in Hartford. The event was open to survivors of childhood cancer and their friends and families. The theme of the event was healthy eating and exercise and there were different games to help kids make healthy choices, which is important for anyone but definitely cancer survivors. Each child who was a survivor got a tee-shirt with stars on the back, signifying the number of years they have been surviving since their first diagnosis of cancer. These kids are so strong! From now on, whenever I am in pain, uncomfortable, sick, or miserable, I am going to think of how strong these kids are! They are way tougher then I could ever be.

From Cycle of Life to benefit Reach for the STARS Survivorship Program

One of my favorite responsibilities when it comes to my platform, Serving Americans in Uniform and Public Service, is when I get to work with my favorite non-profit, the USO. They held a private screening of the movie "UP" in 3-D for military families in Connecticut and in particular the Hartford area on May 30.

From USO private showing of "UP" for Military Families

From USO private showing of "UP" for Military Families

From USO private showing of "UP" for Military Families

Hamden Memorial Day Parade

On May 24, I got to ride in the Hamden Memorial Day Parade in the back of a truck! Now that's the only way to ride!

From Hamden Memorial Day Parade

St. Jude's Children's Hospital Annual Variety Show

From St. Jude's Children's Hospital Annual Variety Show

On May 2, I attended a variety show at East Haven High School in East Haven, Connecticut. All proceeds went to benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospitals.

Fashion Show for Whitney Manor

From Whitney Manor Fashion Show

I participated in a fashion show for Whitney Manor on April 30. I always wanted to be a model when I was little so I got to live out a little bit of a dream! A big thank you to the Dress Barn in Hamden for supplying all of our outfits! I also sang the national anthem.

Pageant School!

From Pageant School

April 25 was the second annual Pageant School, hosted by the Miss Connecticut board. The day was full of great advice and it was fun to see all of the girls together again, misses and teens alike. Poor Candace Dodge, Miss Greater Hamden, ended up sitting in gum! But in general the day was very successful.

From Pageant School

Curry Lunch Fundraiser for British Veterans in Darien

From Curry Lunch Fundraiser for British Veterans

I helped out at another curry lunch fundraiser to benefit British veterans at Coromandel in Darien on April 19. The restaurant was absolutely amazing and I recommend that if you are looking for some good Indian food you check out Coromandel in Darien (I believe they also have additional locations across southern Connecticut). In this picture you can see another helper (and future Miss Outstanding Teen in my opinion) Felicity, with raffle tickets.

MACR Convention

On April 17, I spoke at the MACR (Massachusetts Alliance of College Republicans) Convention at Mount Holyoke College, MA. We had many special guests who currently serve in local and state office. The general theme of the convention was encouraging young people to get involved in running for office. I am a strong believer in getting more young people elected, and everyone that attended the convention is well on their way!

From MACR Convention

Children's Miracle Network Debrief and Tour

On April 11, I had the privilege of attending an info session on the Children's Miracle Network (CMN), the official platform of Miss America, as well as go on a tour of the only children's hospital in Connecticut, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, in Hartford. It was an amazing experience. I'll admit I knew very little about CMN or the children's hospital before we spent the day there. We got a tour from Scott, our official contact, of the entire hospital. What a wonderful place! It is completely kid-oriented, right down to the way the filter the air in the hospital (it is filtered extra during the day to take out that "hospital smell"). Everything in the hospital is arranged to make sure kids are comfortable and as pain-free and stress-free as they can possibly be.
Children's hospitals have saved me and my two brothers numerous times, and I owe them my life. Without CMN, these hospitals would cease to exist.
Please remember that you can make a donation to CMN on my website. I have a goal to raise $500 for the state pageant, and every little bit helps!
Link to my CMN fundraising website: http://www.missamerica4kids.org/m.aspx?i=11362267D8A88DA79

From Children's Miracle Network Debrief and Tour

Curry Lunch Fundraiser for British Veterans

From Curry Lunch Benefit for British Veterans

On April 4 I helped out at a curry lunch fundraiser for British military veterans at the Redding Roadhouse in Redding Connecticut. There was even a bagpiper! In this picture, you can see me and my little helper calling out the raffle tickets.

Miss Nutmeg/Miss Constitution/Miss Mountain Laurel

Congratulations to our new winners! On March 29, the last pageant of the season, we crowned... Miss Nutmeg: Christina Sciongay, Miss Constitution: Sharalynn Kuziak, Miss Mountain Laurel: Corrina Pysa. We also had a trunk show by our official wardrobe sponsor, The Crowning Touch, and we were fitted for our matching white swimsuits for the state competition.

From Miss Nutmeg/Constitution

Miss Greater Waterbury and Miss Brass City

Congrats to Miss Greater Waterbury Amber Caron and Miss Brass City Dana Brooks!

"Connecticut's Own Recipes" kickoff to benefit CT Fallen Heros

I was honored to attend a fundraiser for the organization CT Fallen Heroes on Saturday, March 28, at the Connecticut Culinary Institute in Hartford. Several "gold star" families were in attendance. They have lost their sons and daughters in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was so moving to hear their stories of sorrow, remembrance, and ultimately strength. There were cooking demonstrations and different vendors set up to raise money for the organization that aids families of fallen soldiers here in our own state of Connecticut.

During one cooking demonstration I even got to get up on stage! The chef was explaining how to cook a lobster, which of course was still alive! I tried to pardon the lobster, but ultimately had to give him a parting kiss farewell. I guess I don't have the power of presidential pardon quite yet....

Miss Shoreline

Congratulations to Marie-Lynne Piscitelli, Miss Shoreline 2009! I remember competing against her for the first time in Miss North Haven and she was so nice and so beautiful, I knew it was just a matter of time. I would also like to send a HUGE shout out congratulations to Brianna Smail! Hurray! She won Miss Shoreline's outstanding teen and thank goodness, because I don't know what I would do at state without her.

USO Show Troupe, The Liberty Bells, Launch

On Wednesday, March 18, I attended the official launch of the 2009 Liberty Bells. Because I have not learned any of the choreography I attended as Miss North Haven to support my favorite gals and my favorite organization in the world, the USO. Everyone was lovely and there was a great turnout. Such talent! Congratulations to Heidi, Miss USO 2009. Now we can be sister queens!

You may recognize the woman in the picture with me, that is the one and only Susan Powell, Miss America 1981! I was completely star-struck of course. I asked her if she had any tips for preparing for state. Her advice was to be yourself, and to enjoy every minute of it because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Truer words were never spoken.

The Fighting 69th of New York City Homecoming

Oh my goodness! I am so behind in all of my posts! I do have two really great excuses: 1) My external hard drive with all of my pictures crashed. I am still recovering. 2) School has been crazy! We are so close to finals and all of my professors are piling on the assignments. 

Okay enough excuses.... let me give you some updates!

On Saint Patrick's Day I helped the USO of Metropolitan New York welcome home our men and women of the one and only Fighting 69th Infantry Division. I spent all day making hot dogs (or cooking them at least) and I know I handed out what felt like millions of buns. Thousands of service members and their families were present and it was really a memorable event. Even the mayor of New York, Mike Bloomberg, said a few words, thanking the division for all that they have done in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

For more information on the USO remember you can go to www.usonyc.org. If you have a second please take time to donate a lot or a little so that we can keep doing what we do for our men and women in uniform.

Grand Opening SpringHill Suites by Marriott

On Thursday, March 12, I attended the grand opening of the SpringHill Suites by Marriott, in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The event also acted as a fundraiser for the National Hemophilia Foundation. We ended up raising over $2,000 for the organization that provides research, lobbying, and support for people with blood-clotting disorders. 

The new hotel is beautiful and I wish I could just move in today! 

I highly recommend it to anyone in the area of the Bradley-Hartford Airport.

It was wonderful to see so many people turn out for the event. A few of our title-holders performed their talents and everyone signed a lot of autographs and took a lot of photos with the local community. I had so much fun with the kids in attendance that 

I ended up staying until late in the evening taking pictures, recruiting girls for the Diamond program, and talking to interested parents. 

West Point Society of New York Founders Day Gala

On March 6th I had the honor of attending the 2009 West Point Society of New York Founders Day Gala. The event was an amazing networking opportunity for men and women in all branches of service, but particularly graduates of West Point, the academy of the United States Army.

In keeping with my platform of civic education and public service, I work hard to make sure America has every opportunity to salute the troops. As the daughter of two Army cadets, I can say I feel a personal attachment to West Point and all that the Army does for America.

My lovely Liberty Bells of the USO were also in attendance and performed a couple numbers during dessert. Thank you girls for all that you do and for arriving on such short notice!

Miss New London County and Miss Rose of New England

Congratulations to Miss New London County, Ashley Membrino, and Miss Rose of New England, Amaryllis Rodriquez! 

It was a great show and standing room only! I had to sit in the back...that is what I get for arriving late. Luckily it was a small room and I still had a great view.

I am particularly proud of Ashley because I have competed with her twice and it was just a matter of time until she took home a title. She has matured so much in the short time I have known her. Not bad for a girl who was competing with the teens last year!

It was also a treat to see Christina Sciongay take home interview. She was one of my first friends in the pageant world and she was beautiful in every stage of competition and I look forward to seeing her in the next one, Miss Greater Waterbury, on March 28.

I have posted new pictures from both Miss Fairfield County and Miss New London County. Just look for the link on the left sidebar....

I'm practically famous! Here is an article from the Smith College newspaper, The Sophian

Beauty queen, sewing whiz, cheer captain ... feminist?

By: Elizabeth Tuttle

Posted: 2/26/09

Based on her loose curls, unaffected by the rainy walk from the Quad, as well as her matching high heels and black satin dress replete with a strategically placed crystal-encrusted crown pin, I find it hard to believe her when she swears she has a cold. As we sit in the Campus Center Café on a drizzly weekday evening, Gretchen Hahn '09 has no reservations about pinning a bejeweled pageant crown atop her head as I conduct my interview, seemingly impervious to the giggles and pointing fingers of more than a few dubious diners around her.

Across campus, and a little later in the evening, Rebecca Kaplan '11 warms up her muscles alongside eight of her teammates for the moment they have been practicing for all week. She adjusts the bright gold bow atop her head and bounds onto the basketball court, regaling unsuspecting audience members with a halftime show from Smith Spirit, a newly chartered cheerleading team on campus.

Hahn and Kaplan represent only two members of a much larger demographic on campus: women who have appropriated aspects of traditional gendered stereotypes and activities, reinterpreted them to fit their own contemporary viewpoints and now embrace them as part of a declaration of their own versions of feminism.

For some students on campus, subverting traditional gender roles through the very activities that once enforced them comes in as simple a form as knitting, sewing or cooking. For others, it involves swimwear and stunt squads.

"People associate cheerleaders with being anti-feminist," Kaplan says, stating that the reason why she cheers is completely antipodal to that logic. "We're here and we're women, we practice our sport, and our sport is the celebration of other women. It's a feminist revolution going on with cheerleading!"

For her, cheerleading has never been a matter of fitting into an image of what a female should look like or enjoy, nor has it been about performing for males. At nine years old, she started cheering at an all-girls camp that emphasized the confidence and athleticism required for the sport. "Cheering," she says, "makes me feel like I'm doing something for women."

"Cheerleading requires women to be extremely confident," says Kaplan. "If you're going to go out in front of a crowd, you know that there are going to be people in that crowd who are going to laugh at you, no matter where you go. Nevertheless, you go out, make ridiculous faces, have so much spirit, and the crowd then has no choice but to have some, too."

She feels that part of the fun in cheerleading for Smith comes in the completely antithetical reinterpretation of old stereotypes. In the spirit of the traditionally romantic link between football players and cheerleaders, Kaplan humorously recounts her experience cheering at the halftime of her girlfriend's rugby game: "We're taking something that was given to us, this common convention that started a long time ago with knitted sweaters ... and we're turning it on its head."

Kaplan also cites a level of trust among other women, as well as sheer athleticism, as oft-ignored but extremely tangible benefits for women cheerleaders. "You have to be a dancer, a gymnast," she says. "The element of trust that happens in a stunt group itself, a lot of women should really feel this between each other. Women are so catty, but you can't really be catty when you're cheering, or else it gets dangerous."

In reshaping these activities, Kaplan notes several conventions that have been cut, most notably the appearance and uniform restrictions. "We're open to women who don't want to wear a skirt. You shouldn't have to wear skirts anywhere; that's a convention we're ready to do without. In my history of cheerleading, you grow your hair out for cheerleading because you need your hair up in that ponytail. That's all part of the sport - but it doesn't have to be. Anybody should be able to be involved in our sport, and feel comfortable and confident."

For Hahn, the empowering, liberating aspects of her pageant career may seem insignificant or trite amid bra-stuffing, swimsuit competitions, personal trainers and spray tans. But she argues that pageant competitions have given her a confidence unparalleled by other life experiences, as well as significant scholarship money for her time at Smith.

"It's always been a scholarship pageant, first and foremost. I've raised over a thousand dollars," she says, "and that buys a lot of books. They never give you a check; you send them your bill from school and they reimburse you."

Hahn, whose mother and grandmother also participated in pageants, will participate in the June 27 Miss Connecticut pageant alongside 25 other competitors after clinching the title of Miss North Haven 2009.

In addition to an evening gown and swimsuit section, Hahn also undergoes a nine-minute, private interview and a shorter onstage interview during the pageant. Questions range from topics like abortion, gay marriage and current domestic economic polities to "fluffier," less academic questions.

"I consider myself a feminist," Hahn says, opining that women should be given the same opportunities as men. As such, she also embraces a certain femininity that does not always appear to correspond with traditional feminism - of the three inanimate objects she would take with her on a deserted island, one would be mascara "because you can never look too good no matter where you are."

Hahn sees a deeper motivation behind the swimsuit portion of the competition. "It's called Lifestyle and Fitness for a reason. It's to show that you have a healthy lifestyle; if you sit around all day and spend every weekend drinking, it's going to show. The fact that you actually take care of your body," she says, "is important" for every self-respecting woman.

"You have to know yourself inside and out to get up there and stand in front of a room full of hundreds of people in your bathing suit," she rationalizes. "I would disagree with the people who say that pageants are superficial or anti-feminist because of the sheer confidence you gain from the experience. Now that I've done a pageant, I feel that I can do anything."
© Copyright 2009 The Sophian

North Haven Citizen Press Coverage!

The North Haven Citizen ran a great little press release on us on the 13th. Below is the text. They also ran a picture of the whole North Haven/Greater Hamden crew!

Nikki Palmieri, co-executive director of the Miss North Haven/Greater Hamden Pageant, recently announced the four new titleholders for 2009 who were crowned on Saturday, Jan. ant, recently announced the four new titleholders for 2009 who were crowned on Saturday, Jan. 31.
The new Miss North Haven’s Outstanding Teen is 15-year-old Haylee Rochler, a sophomore at Lyman Hall High School.
Rochler performed an energetic jazz dance to “Proud Mary” for the talent por tion of the competition, and is an advocate for the Children’s Miracle Network. She is the first ever Miss North Haven’s Out­standing Teen since this is the first year that the North Haven/Hamden program has run a Teen Pageant in conjunction with its Miss Pageant.
The new Miss North Haven 2009 is Gretchen Michelle Hahn, a 22-year-old senior attending Smith College in Northampton, Mass. She sang “Reflec tion” from the Disney movie “Mulan” for the talent portion of the competition and will advocate “Civic Education and Public Service for a Better America” as Miss North Haven.
Miss Greater Hamden is Candice Dodge, a 21-year-old senior at Quinnipiac University, and Miss Hamden’s Outstanding Teen is Alyssa Anderson, a 13-year-old eighth grader who attends Tyrrell Middle School in Wolcott.
The North Haven/Hamden Pageant is an open pageant, open to all eligible contestants who live, work full time or attend school full-time in Connecticut. North Haven resident and North Haven High School gradu ate Marie-Lynn Piscitelli was the first runner up in the Miss division.

Miss Fairfield County and Miss New Haven County 2009

Congratulations to the winners of Miss Fairfield County and New Haven County 2009 (and the Teen winners too!)

Miss Fairfield County Taylor Hira
Miss New Haven County Ashley Abate
Fairfield County's Outstanding Teen Mary Ragaglia
New Haven County's Outstanding Teen Alyssa Taglia

The show was very entertaining and all of the girls were simply lovely and stunning. It was my first real appearance as Miss North Haven and it was such a strange feeling to be sitting there in the audience for once! I am very competitive though, and I missed being on stage! I also learned the trick of keeping your crown on straight! The key is a cut-up panty-hose stocking that you string through the crown and pin it to your head. Who knew?

I have a lot more pictures that I will put up as soon as I can run home to get my camera hookup. One of the problems with living in Connecticut but going to school in Massachusetts is that I have a tendency to leave things at the two locations quite frequently.

On another note, I ran into my dress shop in Stamford, CT, the other day to show them my crown. Two little girls where there and they were very excited about my crown. One of them asked, "Is that a princess crown?" I replied that yes, it was, and as I was holding the crown on one of the little girl's heads it occurred to me that this is as close to being a princess as I will probably ever get and that these girls will probably ever see. Wearing a shiny, metal crown on your head comes with a weight more than just the cut class and bent metal, you really represent something to people.

Although I don't know that there is any particular formula for a title-holder, I do know that we are role models. Having a crown and a sash gives you a responsibility to the American people, even when you are not wearing it. I just hope that I can live up to the girls that came before me and hopefully break some ground for girls coming after me.

Welcome to the official blog of Miss North Haven 2009, me! Hopefully this blog will be a running account, a play by play, an ongoing dialogue and discourse on my year of service. I am not really sure what the appropriate words are to use in the christening of a blog, but here it is....Enjoy!

Introducing team North Haven/Greater Hamden 2009!

Miss North Haven, Gretchen Hahn
Miss Greater Hamden, Candice Dodge
North Haven's Outstanding Teen, Haylee Rochler
Greater Hamden's Outstanding Teen, Alyssa Anderson

Congratulations to all these beautiful, talented, strong, intelligent, stylish women! We are going to have a fabulous year!