PELHAM – A new Miss PHS was crowned on Saturday, Feb. 3, in the Pelham High School auditorium.

Senior Ryleigh Chambers was named the winner out of 14 contestants. She effortlessly glided across the stage in a strapless green ball gown as she stepped forward to receive her crown from the 2017 Miss PHS, Riley Taylor.

The judges for the pageant were: Keyla Handley with the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, Rachel Burchfield with the Birmingham Business Alliance, Joshua Young with the UAB Athletic Department and Mattie Cleveland with Southland Tube.

Chambers, who has been competing in school pageants since the sixth grade, said she’s always had a love for all things fashion and beauty.

“I’ve always been that girl, since I was 3 years old, that loved getting all dolled up and putting on a fashion show,” she said. “I really enjoyed getting dressed up and getting to know all the girls.”

She said the pageant also helped her practice her public speaking skills and taught her how to think and respond quickly in stressful situations. Ryleigh Chambers said the experience was fun and not like the stereotypical beauty pageant.

“All of us girls get along,” she said. “We all had fun and it was a great experience.”

What made the experience even more memorable was getting to participate with her sister, 10^th-grader Kennedy Chambers, who was named Miss Junior PHS. Miss Junior PHS goes to a contestant who is not a senior.

Leading up to the pageant Kennedy Chambers said she and her sister talked about how awesome it would be if they both won the top titles.

“This was an amazing opportunity for us to do something fun together,” Kennedy Chambers said.

“This was our last pageant together and we went out with a bang,” Ryleigh Chambers added. “It’s so crazy that it actually happened.”

The first runner-up for the Miss PHS title was senior Sabrina Ross, and first runner-up for Miss Junior PHS was 11^th-grader Raegan Wright.

Ashlee Abbott, 11^th grade, was named Most Photogenic and Miss Congeniality went to 12^th-grader Molly Steele.

The Miss PHS escorts were seniors Jake Germek, Will Pierce, Jarrett McLaren and Isaac Gillipsie. Pageant contestants voted Gillipsie as their favorite escort. Junior Jared Franco served as the master of ceremonies and entertainment was provided by members of the Pelham Park Middle School choir.