Miss Wantagh Court celebrates local women

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Miss Wantagh Court honored six local women at the third annual Women of Wantagh celebration on March 27.

With purple balloons and decorations lining the walks of the Wantagh Elementary gymnasium, Melissa Swanson, Diane Sales, Maureen Conklin, Anne Marie Murale, Cathy Powell and Wantagh School District Superintendent Maureen Goldberg were honored for their achievements and service to the community. In addition to the court, family members and elected officials praised the honorees for their volunteerism and dedication to Wantagh.

“Each day, I realize how blessed I am to have spent nearly my entire career in Wantagh and none more so than this night, as I was honored as one of the Women of Wantagh,” Goldberg, who is retiring this summer, said. “I was very surprised but so grateful to have been selected and humbled to stand alongside my fellow honorees whose volunteer efforts and commitment to Wantagh benefit not only the students of our district but the community as a whole.”

The girls in the Miss Wantagh Court wanted to honor the women in their own community who have inspired them to be great leaders. Since the event was a success last year, members of the court and Coordinator Ella Stevens said that they worked hard to make it even bigger in 2017.

After receiving more than 50 nominations for the Women of Wantagh distinction, the court was able to narrow it down to a dozen women, and from there, six. All of the women who received the honor have given back to Wantagh in either one way or another.

“Wantagh has a long tradition of honoring its own,” Goldberg said. “The Women of Wantagh initiative supports that tradition and promotes the community spirit so unique to Wantagh. The efforts of so many make Wantagh the caring community we have all come to know and appreciate.”