Kayleigh Gehring to be Crowned Dogwood Queen 2018

Renaissance Academy is pleased to announce that junior, Kayleigh Gehring has been selected to be the queen of the 2018 Phoenixville Dogwood Festival. This is quite an honor as, for the first time in this competition’s history, this is a scholarship program based on an individual’s accomplishments and service to the community. Kayleigh is the first winner under this new format.

Earlier this school year, the contestants attended mentoring workshops, then created and prepared a community service project for this program. These projects were then presented to both the Phoenixville Jaycees and Soroptimists Board members on May 9th, 2018 at the historic Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, PA.

This program was organized by Jaycees Coordinators: Beth Burckley, Katie McNelis, Jessica Capistrant and by Soroptimist Coordinators: Janel A Work and Radha Aras, who have been working with the contestants throughout the process. Through the Soroptimists, the new competition structure included curriculum from Dream it, Be it!, an international mentoring program for young women.

Kayleigh will be crowned Dogwood Queen 2018 during the 75th Dogwood Festival on May 15th, 2018 at 630 at Reeves Park. Rounding out her royal court are runner-up Madison Kerper, also a Renaissance Academy junior and Hailey Famous, junior a Phoenixville High School. The girls will then be part of the Dogwood Festival parade on Saturday, May 19th.

Since the first Dogwood Festival, the Dogwood Queen has been selected every year to honor the young women of Phoenixville and to highlight the community’s commitment to public service. Kayleigh’s project under this new program design focused on furthering the education of Renaissance Academy and Phoenixville students.

Upon graduation, Kayleigh will be receiving $2500 and Madison will be getting $1000 in scholarship money for use toward their college education.

Soroptimists International

The name Soroptimist means "best for women”. It is a global women’s organization whose members volunteer to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment.

The Phoenixville Jaycees

Charted in 1952, the second oldest chapter in the state, Phoenixville Jaycees focus is serving the greater Phoenixville area by hosting many staple events and providing volunteers for other community service organizations throughout Pennsylvania. Since 1943, the Dogwood Festival has honored our Military with a family fun celebration and the area’s largest Parade on Armed Forces Day. The Jaycees have been a part of Dogwood since its inception.

About Renaissance Academy:

Established in 1999, Renaissance Academy is a fully-accredited, K-12, tuition-free, college-prep charter school located in Phoenixville, PA. Renaissance Academy currently educates over 1060 students from more than 20 surrounding school districts. Its challenging curriculum was designed to encourage students to think objectively and to approach life thoughtfully and creatively.

In addition to its focus on philanthropy and community awareness, the school also strives for academic excellence. The 73 students from the class of 2018 have earned over 10 million dollars in offered college scholarships.