PHOTO PROVIDED Miss Abington, Madeline Krassner is the 2026 Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen.

“My first reaction – but I don’t think it was audible – was I incrementally screamed,” Miss Madeline Krassner, the newly crowned 2026 Pennsylvania State Laurel Queen, said, according to a news release. “I just didn’t expect it, especially with the amount of amazing women here. I am just lucky that I was even among them, let alone to actually be chosen as the Laurel Queen. It was just such a shock and such an honor.”

She was selected by four judges from a field of 22 candidates representing high schools across Pennsylvania and crowned on Saturday in the auditorium at the Wellsboro Area School District Administration building at 227 Nichols Street by last year’s queen, Miss Alice Ravert, a 2026 graduate of Montoursville Area High School in Lycoming County.

As queen, Miss Krassner was awarded a $3,000 educational scholarship and will return to attend other events in the community, including next year’s festival to crown her successor. She is the daughter of Kathryn Duffy and Aaron Krassner of Abington in Montgomery County.

The coronation ceremony is always one of the highlights of the Laurel Festival, hosted in Wellsboro for 84 years. It was first held in 1938.

“Just the idea that I could meet and connect with girls from all over Pennsylvania in Wellsboro was such a cool opportunity, I couldn’t deny it. I had to come and I am so glad Dr. Wormley, assistant principal at Abington, presented it to me. She is someone I strongly respect and look up to, so it meant a lot that she was the one helping me with this process.

“Abington is right outside of Philadelphia,” she said. “I think I’m the first in a very long time to come to Wellsboro from Abington.” According to Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce records, Miss Krassner is the first student from Abington to be crowned Laurel Queen.

“The girls had been to smaller schools with a graduating class of like 22 students. Abington graduated 750. Talking about our shared but different experiences brought us together,” Miss Krassner said.

“One of my favorite memories from this weekend was when we went to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, which was awesome. I never even knew there was a PA Grand Canyon. It was jaw-dropping.”

This fall, Miss Krassner will be attending Temple University’s Honors College for high-achieving students with a double major in English and Media & Communications. Her career goal is to become an English teacher for 11th or 12th grade students and maybe college level, and a writer.

All four years of high school, Miss Krassner was on the Distinguished Honor Roll and earned the President’s Service Award for Community Service each year. As a freshman, she founded the Lead with Love Club in honor of her eighth grade English teacher and served as its president as a sophomore, junior and senior. The club’s focus is on building community and providing community services. The group grew from a handful of students to 60.

As a sophomore, junior and senior, she was a board member of her school’s Amnesty International chapter and member of Friends Against Drugs and Alcohol and Bird Club. Miss Krassner volunteered at Camp Intervention, a weeklong STEM camp at Copper Beach in Abington, her freshman, junior and senior years.

As a senior, Miss Krassner was a member of the Abington Senior High School Homecoming Court, and, as a junior, a member of the National Art Honor Society and awarded the Abington Outstanding Junior English Student. As a sophomore and junior, she was a mentor in the “Abington Leads by Example” program.

Ella Shultz of Millville Junior-Senior High School, daughter of Dezeray and Seth Shultz of Greenwood Township in Columbia County, was named first runner-up and will receive a $1,500 educational scholarship. This fall, she will be a senior at Millville High. Named second runner-up and the recipient of a $1,000 educational scholarship was Miss Laurel Ramsey of Mifflinburg Area High School, the daughter of Amanda Gessner of Kelly Township in Union County.

Grace Reynolds of DuBois Area High School, the daughter of Carrie and Jeramie Reynolds of DuBois, by vote of the other queen candidates, was chosen Miss Congeniality and awarded a $500 educational scholarship.

In addition to Laurel Queen Madeline Krassner, first and second runners-up, Miss Millville, Ella Shultz and Miss Mifflinburg, Laurel Ramsey, and Miss Congeniality, Miss DuBois, Grace Reynolds, the 10 semi-finalists included: Miss Cowanesque Valley, Madalynn Bailey; Miss Montoursville, Rowan Fortin; Miss Williamson, Abigail Schwartz; Miss Towanda, Caedence Wells; Miss South Williamsport, Natalya Betz; and Miss Williamsport, Kyla Becker.