MKA Sophomore Takes Miss NJ Teen USA Title

Many congratulations to MKA sophomore and Montclair resident Kendal Barrett who was crowned Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2012 last night.

With no prior pageant experience, Kendal, whose real passion is acting, entered the competition after meeting and spending time with Miss Teen Virginia over the summer, and proceeded to win the coveted title from a group of 80 girls from across the state.

The weekend-long competition, held at the Parsippany Hilton Hotel, began on Saturday and included a three-minute live interview by a panel of ten judges where Kendal was asked to sing, to talk about her community service involvement with Operation Smile and to explain why her favorite actress is Meryl Streep. The top fifteen girls then returned on Sunday, and after further traditional pageant rounds, were pared down to five finalists who were then each asked a random question by the judges.

Replying to the question "If you won Miss Teen USA, what would the headlines in your local paper read?" Kendal answered, "That a Montclair Kimberley Academy student wins the title!" An MKA Mastersinger, lead performer in the Winter Musical, Academy Guide, member of the Spirit Committee and a varsity Field Hockey and Lacrosse player, she went on to say, "I'm so proud of my school.  I think education is really important and I go to a wonderful school that has given me great opportunities."

In addition to winning scholarships to the New York Film Academy and a speech and communications program at UCLA, Kendal now embarks on a rigorous timetable of public appearances prior to entering the national Miss Teen USA finals in the summer.  Visit http://patch.com/A-nhTB