Miss Wantagh: A year in review

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Keri Balnis, the 2015 Miss Wantagh, graduated from Wantagh High School on June 23.
Keri Balnis, the 2015 Miss Wantagh, graduated from Wantagh High School on June 23.
Andrew Hackmack/ Herald

Keri Balnis has had an interesting year. She graduated last week from Wantagh High School and will be embarking on a new journey to upstate New York, where she will be studying meteorology at SUNY Oneonta in the fall. 

But she also leaves behind a legacy. Balnis, the 2015 Miss Wantagh, is ready to say goodbye to her friends and family, and finally hand off her crown.

“This was definitely a learning experience,” Balnis said about the title. “I’ve always been involved with the community but this just showed me the next step in making it even better.”

Balnis was crowned Miss Wantagh last year following the annual Fourth of July parade and has taken part in various service projects and community events since.

“Keri has more than fulfilled her role as Miss Wantagh,” pageant coordinator Ella Stevens said. “Her eagerness to do for others is incredible. She has always surprised me with the projects she wanted to undertake. 

“Her omnipresence in the community has definitely raised recognition of the pageant and the meaning of the role of Miss Wantagh,” Stevens added. 

Of all her projects, Balnis said that helping the Girl Scout troops in Wantagh and Bellmore was by far her favorite. As a well-known face in Wantagh, mentoring younger girls was a rewarding experience for her.

“I felt a real connection with this because as a kid, I was very shy and I could have used another person to give me advice and help me break out of my shell,” she said. “The simple things, like paying it forward and teaching them about being kind and not bullying, is what makes it worthwhile.”

Aside from working with children, Balnis was also greatly involved with numerous clubs at Wantagh High including the Key Club, the marching band and pep band. She also helped out in her community by assisting her youth group at St. Frances de Chantal Church and acting as a liaison to the Wantagh Lions Club, where she helped with the community picnic. 

“Keri has so many wonderful traits, you just can’t pick one, it’s not possible,” Stevens said. “She has a wonderful warm, compassionate and an undeniable knack of attracting people and children, especially who want to hear what she has to say. Little girls, when they see Keri, want to grow up to be just like her.”

Balnis said she looks forward to attending this year’s pageant on Friday and help guide the six new contestants who will be competing for the title. She also said she is most excited to meet past contestants, including the very first Miss Wantagh, who was crowned in 1956.

“Even though I’m handing down my crown, I still want to continue to be a good role model,” she said. “I would tell the girls to not be nervous and to just enjoy it. Yes, there is a lot of hard work but it’s an amazing experience.”

Balnis said that she is very thankful and blessed to have had her family by her side this entire year. Her brother, Kevin, and sister, Nicole, who was on the Miss Wantagh Court in 2011, have been a “great support system.” 

“I know it sounds corny,” she added, “but my family and siblings are my best friends.”

Although six new girls will eventually take over the Miss Wantagh Court, Balnis’ accomplishments and contributions to Wantagh will not be forgotten.

“The next Miss Wantagh, as the Miss Wantaghs before her, will make her own mark in Miss Wantagh’s history because that’s how it has continued to grow and evolve,” Stevens said. “Each time a Miss Wantagh begins something new in this town, whether it’s an annual Unity Day, Women of Wantagh event or adopting an organization to work hand-in-hand with, it becomes her legacy; a legacy that is followed by each court thereafter.

“My advice to Keri is to let her heart continue leading her in the direction she has embarked upon,” she added. “In other words, ‘if it feels good, then do it’ because that’s when she will get the most satisfaction from her accomplishments.”