Ringgold’s Isabella Hooper a Pa. Laurel Queen candidate

For the MVI

Isabella Hooper will represent Ringgold High School and her community as a Pennsylvania Laurel Queen candidate during the 83rd Annual Pennsylvania State Laurel Festival in Wellsboro, Pa.

The week-long celebration will include a juried arts and crafts fair, queen’s pageant, pet parade, children’s health fair, foot races, a gospel sing, and several musical concerts, as well as the traditional two-hour Laurel Festival Parade. On June 21, the Laurel Queen candidates will ride on floats in the 2 p.m. Laurel Festival Parade.

At 6:30 p.m., the coronation of the 2025 Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen will be on stage in the auditorium at the Wellsboro Area School District Administration Building, 227 Nichols St.

Isabella, who will be a senior at Ringgold this fall, is the daughter of Kimberly and Kristopher Hooper of Carroll Township.

She has served as the Class of 2026 vice president, on Student Council and the Rotary Interact Club; and was a competitive spirit cheerleader, serving as JV captain as a sophomore and varsity team co-captain as a junior.

She participated in three high school musicals — as an ensemble member as a freshman, and in the lead role as a sophomore and junior. As a freshman and a sophomore, she worked with two Ringgold Middle School musicals, serving as the stage crew manager as a freshman, and serving as the student director as a sophomore Isabella was inducted into the UPMC Washington Teen Outreach Adolescent Advisory Board as a freshman, and, as a sophomore and junior was an advisory board member. The board is composed of teenagers from six Washington County school districts. Its purpose is to give teens tools and strategies to overcome and manage the challenging emotions of adolescence so they can improve their academic success.

As a freshman, she was a founder of the Squirrel Watching Society and vice president as a sophomore and junior. As a sophomore and junior, she was a member of the Lighthouse Committee, participating in monthly meetings with school administrators to discuss ways to better the school experience.

As a junior, she was a volunteer coach for Hoop STARS, a special needs basketball program; was the school representative for Relay for Life promoting support for the return of annual events; was a member of “The Future is Mine,” a forum leadership team member requiring monthly field trips to Student Councils at local high schools; and prom committee vice president, helping with fundraisers for the event and organizing a dress drive.

As a sophomore, Isabella was selected to represent her school at the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership conference and was in the color guard for the school marching band. As a freshman, she participated in the indoor drumline.

She is a 10-year member of the Crossroads Ministries Church and has participated in or helped with Vacation Bible School each summer until her sophomore year when she attended Camp Concern for a week.

Her hobbies include Bible study, journaling, baking, music, playing piano, crafting, and painting.

Last summer, Isabella was employed as a lifeguard at the Pine Cove Beach Club in Fallowfield Township and plans to work there again this summer.

After graduation in 2026, she plans to attend a fouryear college.

For a complete schedule of events for this year’s Laurel Festival, visit https://wellsboropa. comunderway.