As part of the week leading up to the Daffofil Festival Queen’s Coronation, the five judges had already interviewed the princesses. At the Coronation program each of the 23 princesses were asked to give a short, prepared speech on the theme of the 75th Daffodil Festival, “Remembering Your First Daffodil Parade” and then answer the question, “What are the biggest challenges facing young adults today and what advice would you give them.”
Most of the princesses remembered sitting on the curb watching their first Daffodil Parade as children.
Jessica Merrell, Puyallup High School’s princess, said she remembered climbing on her dad’s shoulders when she was 7 years old to get a better look at the float, waving frantically and finally being rewarded by an over the shoulder wink from one of the princesses.
“She inspired me to be here today,” Merrell said. “Everything starts with an inspiration or a single wink.”
Sumner High School Princess Alysha Barry said she was 9 years old when she attended her first Daffodil Parade and that a princess’ responsibility was to make others feel special.
The newly crowned 2008 Daffodil Queen, Olivia Anderson, the first princess from Cascade Christian School, said Band Aids and the Daffodil Parade both started 75 years ago and she could not imagine a world without either of them.
Anderson felt the biggest challenge of young people today is to make good choices.
“They need a good moral compass to follow God’s plan for their life,” she said.
The newly crowned queen, daughter of Dwight and Cristina Anderson, carries a 3.92 GPA and is ASB vice president. She is a busy volunteer who still finds time to play varsity tennis and volleyball and is a member of the Key Club and National Honor Society. She plans to earn a degree in nursing and, as queen, was awarded a $10,000 scholarship.
First runner up, Anna Anderson of Emerald Ridge High School, was awarded an $8,000 scholarship.
The Daffodil Foundation awarded $52,000 in scholarships this year. Princesses Courtney Price of Wilson High School, Katie McKee of Eatonville High School, Kelli Bornander of Lakes High School and Amber Perez of Mt. Tahoma High School were each awarded $2,000. Gloria Bleakley of Graham-Kapowsin High School won a $3,000 scholarship and Jessica Merrell of Puyallup High School was awarded a scholarship of $4,000. Second runner up, Katie Potasky of Rogers High School won a $4,000 scholarship. Each of the remaining 14 members of the Royal Court received a $1,000 award.
Brittany Ward of Clover Park High School received the Miss Congeniality Scholarship and Anderson won the Alumni Scholarship.
Kevin and Anne Potasky, parents of Rogers High School Princess Katie Potasky, said they were “busting our buttons with pride.” Princess Potasky had focused for a long time on her academic studies and decided this was an opportunity to participate in an activity she had not done before. The Potasky’s were both students at Rogers High School in the class of 1976 when they met.
The event was hosted by Tom Hosea and held at Puyallup Foursquare Church, drew a packed house. Speaking to the Royal Court Hosea said he was “overwhelmed by their scholastic achievement and dazzled by their charm and poise.”
While the five judges were making their decisions, the crowd was entertained by the Spanaway Lake High School Music Company and then by the princesses and their escorts.
Michelle Wood of Sumner High School, the 2007 Daffodil Queen, addressed the crowd, saying she wished she could prolong the last year. She shared her experiences as a princess and then as Queen, recounting many happy memories with the princesses and the entire Daffodil committee.
After the Coronation, Cristina Anderson, the mother of the newly crowned queen. said, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. God has plans for our daughter.”
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