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Bandon's 2008 Cranberry Festival Court princesses
Clarissa Castaldi
Clarissa Castaldi, 17, is the daughter of Susan D'Amico and Dan Castaldi. She has a twin brother, John.
Of her many accomplishments, Clarissa is most proud of being one of the first juniors at BHS to make it to the National Speech Competition. She is equally proud of being accepted as a princess in this year's Cranberry Court.
For the past four years, Clarissa watched the cranberry princesses at coronation and in the parades. Inspired by them, she hoped to one day have the honor of representing Bandon in the same way.
Her goals as a Cranberry Princess have been to get to know the people of Bandon and to gain new friends and great memories. Beyond the festival, she hopes to be accepted into an Ivy League university and to one day come back to teach history at BHS. She also hopes to be one of Bandon's first speech team members to reach the National Speech Competition two years in a row.
Besides the many fundraising and publicizing activities she has participated in, Clarissa particularly enjoyed the E.A.T. program at the Presbyterian Church.
Participating in the Cranberry Court has pushed Clarissa out of her comfort zone and has shown her what she is capable of doing. She said Toastmasters was one of her most challenging activities, but was an invaluable experience.
Being a Cranberry Princess has also shown Clarissa what wonderful people her fellow princesses are.
Kayleigh Duval
Kayleigh Duval, 17, is the daughter of Stacia Duval. She has an 18-year-old brother, Jason, and a half sister, Andrea, also 18. She enjoys spending her time with family and friends, and as much as possible includes her love of art in her days.
Her interests include doing any type of art work, especially chalk pastel and any other fine arts. She also enjoys helping people. She has done several art projects for the school and the community, including paintings for the wrestling team, helping with the community pool sign and paintings for weddings.
After high school, Kayleigh wants to follow her love of art. This year she will be taking three art classes. She hopes to obtain art scholarships and eventually go to art college.
Kayleigh has a very strong love for family. Her grandma, Jean Duval, raised 11 kids in Bandon, so she has always felt honored to grow up here. Loving Bandon so much gave her the dream of being a Cranberry Princess.
It has been hard for Kayleigh to break out of her shell and try new things. But, within the last two years, she has lost more than 70 pounds. This achievement helped her believe in herself and try out for this year's Bandon Cranberry Court. She was thrilled to have been selected.
Being a part of the Cranberry Court has been a great experience for her. Although some moments have been scary, being a princess has helped Kayleigh increase her confidence level. It has also shown her the importance of getting out in one's community.
Ashley Powell
Ashley Powell, 17, is the daughter of Kim and Chris Powell. She enjoys working with her parents at their business, Bandon Baking Co., in Old Town. She has two sisters, Alyson, 21, and Mauri, 20.
Ashley is a œfootball fanatic" and an avid fan of the Bandon Tigers football team. She and her family have lived in Bandon for 10 years, and she still feels as if she's on a permanent vacation. After high school, she hopes to attend college to study elementary education and to work with young children.
When Ashley first saw Bandon's Cranberry Princesses, she thought they were beautiful in their gowns and tiaras and knew she wanted to be a princess. After her sister, Mauri, participated in the 2004 Cranberry Court, she realized there was more to it than wearing a tiara and waving at the crowds at a parade.
To Ashley, a princess gets to be an ambassador and to share with others her pride in our small town. They also have the chance to do community service, which has been one of the high points of Ashley's experience. She enjoyed serving E.A.T. meals at the Presbyterian Church and connecting with kids at the library campout.
Ashley has thoroughly enjoyed being a Cranberry Princess. The most challenging activity for her has been the weekly meetings with the Toastmasters. She has especially enjoyed collaborating with the other princesses. She says the six young women have become a team rather than individuals competing against one another.
Jordan Tipton
Jordan Tipton, 17, is the daughter of Doug and Julie Tipton and has lived in Bandon since she was 1. She has two older half sisters, Kathy and Avery.
She is actively involved with the cheer, dance, volleyball and golf teams at the high school. She especially enjoys working with children at the library with her mother, who is the children's librarian, and as a student aide at the preschool. She also loves to spend time with friends.
After graduating, Jordan plans on going to the University of Oregon to study psychology. She eventually wants to work with children who have mental problems, studying what causes these problems, or to work with children with ADHD.
Jordan decided to be a Cranberry Princess because she wanted to set a good example for the girls that look up to the court as she used to do, and to represent Bandon to the best of her ability. Also, previous princesses had told her how much they enjoyed the experience.
For Jordan, the most fun part of being a princess has been getting to know all of the other princesses better and learning more about her great town and community. Getting the tiaras was also, of course, one of the best parts.
One of the things that Jordan has found challenging is overcoming her shyness and nervousness when talking to people. Being a Cranberry Princess has changed how she views Bandon and has helped her overcome her shyness.
She is grateful she was given the opportunity to do so.
Ashley Tobiska
Ashley Tobiska, 17, is the daughter of Dan and Cindy Tobiska and was raised in Bandon. She has one sister, Shelby, 10.
Ashley believes it is a special privilege for her to serve on the Cranberry Court, especially since her family owns a cranberry farm.
She has been involved in many sports and activities while in high school, including cross country, track, golf, outdoor club, speech team and water sports, such as wake boarding, boogie boarding and kite boarding. She is a member of the National Honor Society and in the Talented and Gifted Program at BHS. She plans to attend college.
Ashley is very proud to have participated in the United Nations Pilgrimage for Youth in the summer of 2007. She visited the East Coast and had a wonderful and educational trip.
Ashley also works part time at Koffee 'n Kites in Bandon and loves spending time with friends.
She views being a Cranberry Princess as an opportunity to make new friends, improve her stage presence, get more involved in the community and promote the cranberry industry.
Being a Cranberry Princess is one of those things Ashley always wanted to do. So far, the most fun but challenging part of her experience has been the weekly Toastmasters meetings, but her speaking skills have definitely improved.
Ashley believes the commitment in time and effort that she has made as part of the Cranberry Court has changed her. She now realizes she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to do.
Corinna Warner
Corinna Warner, 17, is the daughter of Bill and Debbie Warner. She has an older brother, Zac.
She has been involved with music and dance her whole life. Since third grade, she has been dancing at MarLo Dance Studio, which she loves. She also has toured nationally with the Young Continentals, a performing arts group for ages 13 to 16, and she sings in the advanced choir at school.
Corinna has been on the varsity dance team and on the varsity cheer team. For the past three years, she has been a member of the BHS speech team. A member of National Honor Society, she also leads worship for her church, which she considers an honor.
Corinna has several aspirations. She wants to go back on tour after high school to pursue her musical dream. She hopes to study music in college and some day the music she has composed will be published. She would also like to go to third-world country for a year or two to help the needy.
When Corinna was a small child, she cuddled up with her father in a blanket to watch the Cranberry parade and wanted nothing else than to be a Cranberry Princess when she grew up. She wanted to have the opportunity to be a role model for other little girls.
Being on the Cranberry Court has helped Corinna gain more confidence. She encourages other girls who grew up with a dream similar to hers to step up and try out next year. She doesn't regret it one bit!
