Kailey Grill

MARS — It was Kailey Grill’s year to shine as she was crowned Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA Sunday night, at the Hyatt Regency at the Pittsburgh International Airport.

For Kailey, it was redemption after she took the first-runner-up spot at last year’s pageant.

“This year I just felt really calm and ready for whatever was meant to happen,” she said. “I knew I was ready. I just felt calm and knew that everything happens for a reason.”

Kailey, a senior at Mars Area High School, will move on to the national competition next summer and enjoy the next year making appearances under her new title and working with various nonprofits and community groups.

Kailey has been competing in pageants since she was about 13 years old, she said. She heard about the Miss Teen USA pageants and thought they’d be a great fit for her interest in public speaking.

A full story will appear in tomorrow's Butler Eagle.