Whiz Kid: Haley Hinton Carries Herself Well

We caught up with this week’s Whiz Kid in a free moment after her drama practice and before her basketball game, just one day after she attended a Broadway premiere and one day before she traveled to Hartford with her family to compete for the title of “Junior Miss New England.”

For 13-year-old Haley Hinton, winner of “Miss New England Ambassador” honors Sunday, it’s all part of life’s rich pageant. 

Hinton has been participating in local pageants since she was 5 years old. Her mother, Board of Education member Michelle Hinton, explains that she “entered [Haley] in them to have her gain confidence, meet new friends, and practice her public speaking.” In 2009, Haley was crowned Little Miss Ledyard Fair. Last year, she earned the title Junior Miss Ledyard Fair.

This weekend’s Junior Miss New England competition was Haley’s first out-of-area pageant. As a Miss New England Ambassador, she will travel to press conferences, parades, and other events to represent the pageant process.

In the talent portion of the event on Saturday, she performed traditional Irish step dances, including “St. Patrick’s Day,” and was awarded a trophy for her dancing. An accomplished Irish dancer, Haley’s been dancing with the Spirited Soles Irish Dance Academy for 10 years. In addition to the talent component, participants were also evaluated on their interview with the judges and the “formal.”

“You wear a ball gown or other fancy dress and you walk on stage,” Haley explained. The judges are looking for “grace, beauty, and eye contact,” she said. “It’s how you carry yourself.”

“I’ve always been interested in doing [pageants] for confidence and poise,” she said. “And I’m interested to meet the other girls and connect with people who have the same interests I do.”

One of those interests is basketball – not only is Haley a co-captain of her team at Ledyard Middle School, she plays for the Connecticut Cobras, an Amateur Athletic Union team, during the middle school team’s off-season. “My practices are mostly in East Hampton and Durham,” she explained. “That’s where most of the other [AAU] players are.”

Travel is one of Haley’s interests – she makes frequent trips to New York for Broadway performances, and as an 11-year-old traveled with a group of 30 students from across the country as part of People-to-People’s tour of Italy and Greece. “It was amazing,” she said. “We saw so many different things.”

Haley’s also a thespian, and plays Phineas Trout, a reporter, in the school’s production of “Willy Wonka.” In addition, she enjoys surfing, reading, writing, and sewing. “I find dresses at yard sales or Goodwill, or wherever, and I turn them into things I would wear,” she said, noting that she also recently completed her first quilt.

An excellent student, Haley has been recognized as a RISE – Resilience, Integrity, Scholar and Exploration – award student several times and has been selected as student of the month. 

“Haley is very goal-oriented and always thinks of others before herself,” said Michelle. This past summer, Haley volunteered 90 hours at the United Way office, doing paperwork and organizing files.

Looking ahead, Haley’s mulling law school as a definite possibility. “I’m interested in civil law,” she said. “I love history, and I’d love to get into law and help children and families.” 

Haley Hinton has the poise and passion to make her dreams come true.