Thursday, October 1, 2026
As the Miss Wantagh pageant prepares to celebrate its 70th anniversary this month, Miss Wantagh 2025 Isabella Simon has created a lasting addition to the community — an American flag retirement mailbox at the Wantagh Preservation Society.
The mailbox, unveiled on June 7 at the Wantagh Preservation Society on Wantagh Avenue, gives residents a place to deposit worn or damaged American flags so they can be properly retired. The project, which Simon developed during her year-long reign, was inspired by her love of history, her respect for veterans and her desire to educate residents about the proper way to dispose of American flags.
“I’m a very big history person,” Simon, 16, said. “I love veterans and our country, and I thought it was a great idea, because people in Wantagh don’t really know how a flag properly gets retired. Some people don’t even know there’s a flag mailbox at the American Legion.” The project comes as Wantagh prepares to celebrate two major milestones this year: the 70th Miss Wantagh, on June 30, and the nation’s 250th anniversary next month.
Unlike traditional beauty pageants, Miss Wantagh focuses on academics, leadership and community service. As it has in the past, this year’s event will encourage young women to become active contributors to the community.
“I wasn’t going to do it at first because I thought it was a beauty pageant,” Simon recalled. “Then, once I learned more about it, I learned it was based on community service.”
She joined the junior court in seventh grade, later advanced to the senior court and eventually became the youngest winner in pageant history, at age 15, when she was crowned before her sophomore year of high school. Simon now attends Kellenberg Memorial High School, and remains active in community service through her school’s Christian service club, .
She knew from the start what her service project would be. As a girl scout in 3105 Wantagh girl scout, Simon took part she’s currently working on her gold award in annual flag retirement ceremonies. She wanted to create a permanent educational resource that would continue serving residents long after her reign ended.
Over the course of nearly a year, she worked with the Wantagh Preservation Society, American Legion Post 1273 and community supporters to bring the project to life. She purchased a mailbox online and customized it. She painted it beige with blue accents to match the colors of the society’s historic museum building, and added an American flag design and commemorative plaque explaining the project. “It actually matches pretty perfect,” she said.
The American Legion agreed to assist with oversight of the project and to help ensure that the flags Simon collects are properly retired.
For Simon, the mailbox is about more than simply providing a drop-off location. “I think some people don’t know the proper ways to retire a flag,” she said. “There is a respectful way to retire it. Learning the proper ways and then spreading that to the youth, especially, is a very good thing, because I think the youth is the future of the country.”
A QR code on the mailbox directs residents to educational materials explaining proper flag retirement procedures, extending the project’s reach beyond the annual retirement ceremonies Simon hopes will continue for years to come.
Thomas Watson, a trustee of the preservation society, said the organization viewed the project as a valuable community resource and educational opportunity.
“People now have another place to drop off their American flags that are either ripped or faded,” Watson said. “I think it’s an educational thing. You’re not supposed to just throw it in the garbage.”
Because the mailbox is permanently installed on the museum property, Watson said the society carefully considered its placement and design before approving the project.
“The museum is still the museum,” he said. “This is just a community project that doesn’t overwhelm the historic building.” Watson noted that the mailbox is expected to remain in place indefinitely, provided it continues to be maintained and monitored.
For residents who use it, he hopes the experience carries a sense of responsibility. “I think they’ll have a certain pride that they’re doing the right thing,” he said.
The project also aligns with a broader effort by local organizations to commemorate America’s semiquincentennial through educational and historical initiatives. “There is more happening because of the 250th anniversary,” Watson said. “This was just one of them.”
For Simon, the most rewarding aspect of the project is knowing it will continue benefiting the community long after her tenure as Miss Wantagh concludes on July 4. “My plan is to continue the ceremony even after my reign ends,” she said. “I think it’s very important.”
As the pageant prepares to crown its 70th titleholder next month, Simon hopes her project serves as a reminder of what the program is ultimately about. “It means a lot to me to be able to do this,” she said. “I’m hoping I can educate not only the youth, but adults, too.”
