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Junior Queen candidates are Savannah Ortiz and Izzy Kimmel (front) and the Queen candidates are Kindra Cupples and Jessica Garcia.
The 2016 Pioneer Days Queen contestants have been hard at work for several weeks earning points to see who will wear the crowns.
Along with selling raffle tickets, the girls competed in a fashion show and speech contest during the Women’s Expo held last week.
Seeking the Queen’s crown are Kindra Cupples and Jessica Garcia while Izzy Kimmel and Savannah Ortiz have their eyes on the Jr. Queen’s crown.
Kindra Cupples
Kindra is the daughter of Michael and Danette Cupples of Dripping Springs. She is 15 and is a sophomore at Ray High School where she is active with journalism.
She enjoys photography, listening to music and drawing. Her hopes for the future include attending college at GCU where she would like to study for a career as a counselor for addiction and substance abuse.
Kindra entered the Queen competition because “I have never done anything like this before. It seems fun and very interesting.” She added that it also helps the community out.
Jessica Garcia
Jessica, 16, is also a sophomore at Ray High. She is the daughter of Jose and Armida Garcia of Dudleyville.
She participates in band at school and her hobbies and interests include horse back riding, playing video games, hanging out with friends, listening to music, playing the piano and drawing.
In the future she would like to attend college, preferably ASU, to study design and animation and eventually move to Los Angeles and help create video games.
Jessica said she decided to enter the Queen contest because, “it gives me a chance to interact with people and make new friends and to make amazing memories.”
Izzy Kimmel
Izzy, 13, is in the eighth grade at Ray Jr./Sr. High and is the daughter of John P. and Chatawn Kimmel of Dudleyville.
Her school activities include participating in band, volleyball, basketball and softball. She has also been named Student of the Month and Citizen of the Month and is an Honor Roll Student.
Her interests include basketball, playing with her dog, listening to music and doing crafts.
Her future hopes include college to study for a career in either fashion or art or maybe animal vet.
Izzy said she entered the race for Jr. Queen because, “It sounded like fun and it would be a new experience for me.”
Savannah Ortiz
Savannah is the daughter of Harold Brad and Tiffany Ortiz of Kearny. She is 13 and attends Ray Jr./Sr. High where she’s an eighth grader.
At school she has served on the Student Council for the past two years, and been an Honor Roll student since the fifth grade and also has participated in band.
She has been an active member of the Kearny Koyotes 4-H Club since 2013, was club recorder in 2013 and has helped with the club’s Christmas food basket project and canned food drive. Her swine project awards include one purple rosette and three blue ribbons.
Other community service includes helping with Kid’s Club and VBS at Kearny Baptist Church and the Summer Reading Program at Kearny Library.
Her hobbies and interests include scrapbooking, reading, drawing, camping, hanging out with friends and family, bike riding and watching movies. She added she also likes anything to do with design and fashion.
After high school Savannah would like to pursue a career in the fashion industry and is hoping to attend the U of A to advance her dreams by achieving a degree in business/art and eventually a fashion design, art school.
Savannah said she decided to run for the Jr. Queen title because, “I can be a bit shy, so I thought it would help to get me out of my shell a bit. I also like to help others and do volunteer work and I thought I could do a lot by running for Jr. Queen.”
These girls are asking the support of the community, so if you see them out and about please purchase a ticket or two. Tickets are $1 and there are three cash pay outs, $150, $250 and $500. The Queen Crowning and cash drawings will be held during the Pioneer Day activities.
Vicki started her career in the journalism field while attending Ray High School in Kearny with an excellent teacher who took her by the hand and guided her. She worked on the school newspaper and as a senior was a co-editor. Her dream was to go on to college to study journalism and eventually to travel the world reporting the news. This dream was interrupted by life circumstances. She stayed in Kearny and went to work for the Copper Basin News in 1964 as a typesetter. Her editor was Ira Q. Toler and he also was a good teacher. After marrying and having children, her desires to again work in the newspaper field surfaced. She responded to an ad for a position in advertising for the Copper Basin News which included selling, lay-out and design. She was hired on the spot. The business has greatly changed with technology and the introduction of desktop publishing. She was fortunate enough to be a part of it. She has now worked for Copper Area News Publishers on and off for over 30 years, starting when John Seater was the publisher. She has held many positions over the years, but is most proud to be named a reporter. She loves to write and is so grateful for being given that chance.
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