Piper Luginbill, Alyson Coe, & Olivia Evans are crowned as Deer Park’s Royal Court for 2024.

Piper Luginbill was crowned Miss Deer Park, marking the pinnacle of the 2024 Royal Court ceremony, which was filled with vibrant performances and heartfelt farewells. 

The 70th year of the Miss Deer Park Program was marked this year. Amidst an atmosphere of celebration and anticipation, Piper Luginbill was crowned Miss Deer Park, leading the 2024 Royal Court. The event, themed “I’ll Be There For You,” took place at Deer Park High School on March 16th. Alongside Piper Luginbill, Alyson Coe and Olivia Evans were honored with Deer Park Princess titles. They will have the honor of representing the Deer Park community during the upcoming year at various community events and events around the Pacific Northwest.  

Beyond the spectacle, the essence of the program is to support these young women in pursuing higher education and career aspirations. Through the generosity of the association and sponsors, scholarships totaling $15,660 were bestowed upon the recipients. A list of all the scholarship results is at the bottom of this article.

Recap of the Night Events

Kicking off the evening, Quincy McCune delivered a rendition of the National Anthem. Serving as Master of Ceremonies was Lance Olson, a Deer Park resident since 2001 whose deep roots in the community span decades. Lance, alongside his wife Claire, has been a steadfast supporter of the scholarship program for many years. 

The opening presentation set the stage as the esteemed 2023 Royal Court, consisting of Miss Deer Park Elizabeth Fausti, Princess Mackenzie Hayes, and Princess Carly Shines, were introduced to the enthusiastic crowd. Alongside these distinguished ladies, the spotlight shone brightly on the six talented contestants vying for the title in 2024: Autumn Clelland, Alyson Coe, Alyzabeth Tomala, Olivia Evans, Piper Luginbill, and Nevaeh Lee. What followed was an inspirational showcase of talent, grace, and determination.

During the physical fitness segment, the audience was treated to a group performance that showcased the contestants’ vitality and athleticism. The 2023 Royal Court delighted the audience with a special entertainment segment, granting the competitors a moment to prepare for the upcoming self-expression portion of the program.

The category of self-expression contributes 10 percent to the girls’ overall score. Judges prioritize clarity, conciseness, and the ability to engage the audience through eye contact, posture, and stage presence. Contestants are allotted 90 seconds to respond to the prompt. This year’s prompt was, “What does it mean to be a friend?”

Contestants interpreted the question in various ways. Across these diverse interpretations, a common theme emerged: friendship embodies honesty, loyalty, and trustworthiness. Participants emphasized that friends are those with whom they feel safe during life’s highs and lows. Friends are there to support us, create lasting memories, and bring joy into our lives. 

Next was the creative & performing arts category, starting with Autumn Clelland, who first learned how to play piano from her grandpa at four. She played a piece that mixes Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G Minor and original music composed by Clelland herself. Alyson Coe has always been interested in music as it found a special place in her heart. That allows her to connect with her late grandmother. Allison sang and played piano for  “Sulla Luna,” a song she wrote in honor of her grandmother. Alyzabeth Tomala has been drawn to the medical field since a young age. She came on stage with her science model, Mr. Peabody, and taught the audience about the human brain. Olivia Evans started learning American Sign Language in her Freshman year of High School. She finds great joy in this language because it allows her to communicate with people she otherwise would not be able to.  She also recited a poem called “Never Trust A Mirror” by Erin Hanson while signing. Piper Luginbill performed her karate moves, which she started as a way to protect herself and continued because of the self-discipline, diligence, and self-confidence it provides. The final performance was Nevaeh Lee, who loves to talk and is interested in the dramatic arts. She put these two things together and performed a dramatic reading of a monologue from the Barbie movie.

The last on-stage event was the presence and composure section. Dressed in evening gowns, each young woman radiated poise and grace, accompanied by a person of their choosing. At the end of the routine, each girl got a chance to answer one more question in the hopes of impressing the judges.

Judging

To maintain its commitment to fairness and impartiality, all judges hailed from outside the Deer Park area, ensuring an objective evaluation process untainted by local bias. The panel of judges included: Shari Wichterman, Amanda Plumlee, Gretchen Neal, Aerie Hollis, and Jenna Wichterman. 

Judging criteria reflect the program’s values, emphasizing scholastic achievement, interview performance, fitness, self-expression, creative and performing arts, presence and composure, and participation. Sixty percent of their overall score in scholastic achievement, judges interview, and participation was already scored before the night’s event. These scores are weighted to determine finalists. 

Emotions ran high as the 2023 Royal Court bid the community a heartfelt farewell. Their final appearance set the stage for the eagerly anticipated unveiling of the 2024 winners, marking the culmination of a memorable evening. Congratulations to all the participants for their hard work and dedication to their future.

The Final Results

Miss Deer Park 2024 – Scholarship $3,725
Piper Luginbill

Miss Deer Park Princess 2024 – Scholarship $3,425
Alyson Coe

Miss Deer Park Princess 2024 – Scholarship $3,425
Olivia Evans

Bill & Bette Cox Community Service – $500 sponsored by Yoke’s Fresh Market
Autumn Clelland

Spirit of Deer Park – $500 sponsored by Deer Park Veterinary Clinic
Nevaeh Lee

Be the Light’ Award in Memory of Mary Holweger- $700 sponsored by Little Blessings Christian School & Childcare
Nevaeh Lee

Physical Fitness – $500 sponsored by Sculley’s Automotive Repair Inc.
Piper Luginbill

Self Expression – $500 sponsored by Edward Jones
Alyson Coe

Creative and Performing Arts – $500 sponsored by Grrs ‘N” Purrs Grooming
Autumn Clelland

Presence and Composure – $500 sponsored by The Pickett Fence
Piper Luginbill

Judges’ Interview – $650 sponsored by Little Blessings Christian School & Childcare
Piper Luginbill

Scholastics – $700 sponsored by Bates DDS
Autumn Clelland