Tarantella and Everett to Represent Bucktail and Central Mountain at Wellsboro’s Laurel Festival
WELLSBORO — Two outstanding young women, Rossella Tarantella of Bucktail Area High School and Emily Everett of Central Mountain High School, will proudly represent their schools and communities at the 83rd Annual Pennsylvania State Laurel Festival, June 14–22 in Wellsboro. Both are among the 24 Laurel Queen candidates competing for the 2025 crown, to be awarded at the coronation ceremony Saturday evening, June 21.
Miss Bucktail: Rossella Tarantella
Miss Rossella Tarantella is representing Bucktail Area High School and her community as a Pennsylvania Laurel Queen candidate.
She is the daughter of Amanda and Thomas Tarantella of Renovo.
Her cousin, Aaliyah McGowan, was a Laurel Queen candidate representing Bucktail High School in 2019.
All four years of high school, Miss Tarantella was a varsity football cheerleader and Varsity Club member; a Clinton County Relay for Life volunteer, participating in fundraisers and event setup and cleanup with the Bucktail Medical Center’s Relay for Life Team; and an active member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church where she volunteers for a variety of community service projects and has been an altar server for the past two years.
As a junior and senior, Miss Tarantella was on the honor roll and a Greater Renovo Area Heritage Park Haunted House volunteer.
She was a member of the Yearbook Club as a senior and won the English award as a junior and the Biology award as a sophomore.
Miss Tarantella has frequently been employed as a babysitter as a sophomore, junior and senior. The summer after her sophomore year, she worked as the park supervisor for the Keystone Central School District’s Summer Recreation Program. The summer after her junior year, she did a cosmetology internship with Creative Images Styling Studio in Lock Haven.
She enjoys pontooning, camping, hiking, dance, music, baking, and stargazing.
This fall, Miss Tarantella will take her state license test to become a cosmetologist.
Her career goal is to become a cosmetologist and open a hair salon in Renovo, her hometown.
Miss Central Mountain: Emily Everett
Miss Emily Everett is representing Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall and her community as a Pennsylvania Laurel Queen candidate. She is the daughter of Teresa and Robert Everett, of Allison Township.
During her four years of high school, Miss Everett was on the high honor roll or honor roll and was a four-year member of SkillsUSA, a workforce development organization for students, of which she was the president during her senior year.
As a sophomore, junior and senior, Miss Everett was a member of the Rotary Interact Club; the Central Mountain Golf team and Teen Court, which uses actual cases to introduce students to the judicial system.
Miss Everett was inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior and was also a member during her junior and senior year. She was also a member of Wildcat Way, a schoolwide positive behavior support program; became an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with Lock Haven Emergency Medical Services and was awarded a Lock Haven EMS Scholarship. As a sophomore and junior, she took part in Stop the Bleed, teaching community members how to recognize severe bleeding and what actions to take to bring it under control as well as distributing bleeding control kits community-wide.
As a senior, Miss Everett volunteered in Mrs. Snyder’s kindergarten class. As a freshman, she volunteered as an assistant gymnastics coach at the Lock Haven YMCA.
Miss Everett was employed during all four years of high school as a cart attendant at the Belles Springs Golf Course in Mill Hall. As a sophomore and junior, she was a gymnastics coach at the Lock Haven YMCA. In her senior year, she worked as a patient care technician at Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital. She enjoys golf and gymnastics.
Following graduation, Miss Everett will continue to work as an Emergency Medical Technician and attend a one-year paramedic program at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. Her career goal is to become a flight paramedic.
The Laurel Festival will provide these exceptional young women with a weekend full of memorable experiences, including a trip to Leonard Harrison State Park, the Queens Preview concert on Friday, the Laurel Parade on Saturday, and the coronation ceremony Saturday night at the Wellsboro High School Auditorium.
In addition to celebrating academic excellence, leadership, and community involvement, the festival features family-friendly events such as the Children’s Health Fair, Pet Parade, Arts & Crafts Fair, nightly free concerts, and a 10K race and fun run.
For full details, visit wellsboropa.com or call the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce at 570-724-1926.
