Miss Teen Alaska USA 1st Runner Up Clara McConnell (left) is the daughter of Craig McConnell and Gia Hanna and grandaughter of Lena Suuyuk Hanna (right). - Photo provided / for Alaska Newspapers

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November 14th 11:38 pm | Arctic Sounder Staff Report

This weekend, Reigning 2011 Miss Teen Alaska USA Denali Whiting, of Kotzebue, passed on her crown to the new 2012 winner Veronica Temple of Chugiak, Alaska , but the spotlight hasn't left the region. Clara McConnell, age 17, of Kotzebue placed 1st Runner Up for Miss Teen Alaska and Pauline Nay of Kotzebue took Third Runner Up for Miss Alaska, out of 22 contestants. The young women were judged on personal interview, evening gown, and swim suit contest. Although being judged in a bathing suit in front of a crowd of 600 took courage, said McConnell, "being able to express what it is to be a young Inupiaq today is what I'm proud of'. If the new crownholder is unable to fulfill her duties, McConnell would represent Alaska at the Miss Teen USA pageant to be held at a yet-to-be determined location in the summer of 2012.

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Copyright 2012 The Arctic Sounder is a publication of Alaska Media, LLC. This article is © 2012 and limited reproduction rights for personal use are granted for this printing only. This article, in any form, may not be further reproduced without written permission of the publisher and owner, including duplication for not-for-profit purposes. Portions of this article may belong to other agencies; those sections are reproduced here with permission and Alaska Media, LLC makes no provisions for further distribution.