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Niles High School senior Maureen Craig was crowned 2012 Miss Niles during the pageant Sunday evening at Niles High School.

Daily Star photo/KATIE ROHMAN Brandywine senior Danielle Pompey is named Miss Congeniality and second runner-up.

Craig, the daughter of James and Roberta Craig, plans to attend Hope College and study for a career in health care as well as play basketball. This was her first pageant.
“I just feel so enthusiastic,” Craig said following her crowning. “Pageants aren’t something I normally do.”
Accompanying Craig as 2012 Mr. Niles will be Stuart Coulston.
First runner-up for Miss Niles was 17-year-old NHS junior Emily Archer. She is the daughter of Timothy and Amy Archer.
“I’m very excited,” Archer said. “I’ve been in pageants … it was a lot of fun.”
Crowned Miss Congeniality and second runner-up was 18-year-old Brandywine High School senior Danielle Pompey. She is the daughter of Tony and Pam Pompey.
When asked why she decided to participate in the pageant, she said simply: “Senior year. I wanted to go all out. I wanted to give my parents something to be proud of. It was very scary.”
Rounding out the rest of the top six contestants were 17-year-old NHS senior Abigail McKeel; 17-year-old NHS senior Carllie Ray; and 18-year-old Lake Michigan College freshman Emily Mokwa.
The 2011 Miss Niles, Samantha Low, and 2011 Mr. Niles, Torence Witherspoon, also bid

Daily Star photo/KATIE ROHMAN Niles High School junior Emily Archer is crowned first runner-up.

the program farewell Sunday.
Emcee for the pageant was “Wild” Bill Lewis of Y97.5 Judges were Allison Hayes, Lowell Johannsen and Janet Mankowski; pages were Katie Bruckner, Dacey Divane and Chloe Hargraves; and the runner was Chelsea Powers. The group Expressions — Chelsea Hamm, Danielle Villa and Abby Rzepka — sung the national anthem and another number.