PAGEANT Local girls compete for Ohio Junior Miss title

The state winner will compete for the title of America's Junior Miss for 2004.
MOUNT VERNON -- Two local residents will be among the 27 Ohio high-school girls who will compete Feb. 14 for the title of Ohio Junior Miss.
Marissa Koby of Canfield, a senior at Canfield High School, and Elyse Marie Healey, also of Canfield and a senior at Cardinal Mooney High School, will both represent the area as contestants for the title that will lead to the America's Junior Miss Pageant to be held June 26 in Mobile, Ala. Both were chosen from among 100 contestants at a preliminary pageant last fall to compete for the state title.
Miss Healey is a daughter of Chris and JoAnn Healey of Canfield. She serves as president of the Cardinal Mooney Speech and Debate Team and is a two-time Ohio High School Speech League state qualifier in dramatic interpretation. She is executive officer of the school's Service Club, captain of the Academic Challenge team and member of the National Honor Society, and is listed with Who's Who of America's High School Students. She also is a service volunteer member of the Tod Squad at Tod Children's Hospital in Youngstown.
Healey has been accepted to St. Mary's College at Notre Dame and plans to attend medical school.
A classically trained violinist, she will play a selection from "The Phantom of the Opera" for the pageant's talent competition.
A daughter of Robert and Maria Koby of Canfield, Miss Koby is actively involved at Canfield High School in varsity basketball cheerleading, the yearbook staff, Y-Teens, Key Club, Young Leaders and Interact. She has served as the anchor on her school news show and as mascot at football games. She also was elected secretary-historian of her National Honor Society chapter. She volunteers with the Rescue Mission, Magical Moments, Elementary Drug Prevention Program, American Cancer Society, Special Education Prom-Helping Hands program and the Inn at Christine Valley.
She is active at St. Michael Church in Canfield, where she has served as a lector, youth representative on the parish council, nursery staff member and religious education teacher. She also belongs to the church youth group and has attended the National Catholic Youth conference.
She is employed as a technician at Kids n' Cures Pharmacy and works at Tippecanoe Country Club in the summer. She will be attending Ohio State University this fall.
She will play the piano in the talent competition.
The competition
Over $20,000 in scholarships will be awarded at the state pageant, and the winner will go on to the national pageant where she will have the opportunity to win a share of more than $200,000 in scholarships.