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Last appearance for the elephants: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Xtreme at Mohegan Sun Arena in WIlkes-Barre Township April 28-May 1

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Weichert Realtors announces new hires

<p>WHITE HAVEN &#8212;All eyes will be on Boca Raton, Florida, July 11-16 when borough resident Courtney Dornheim competes for the title of USA National Teen.</p><p>Dornheim, 18, currently USA National Miss Pennsylvania Teen, will spend a week pitted against the nation&#8217;s best in interview, evening gown and a fashion show. Judges for the pageant include Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev, Sherri Hill model Angelia Layton, Miss Teen USA 2012 Logan West and Miss Haiti University 2015 Lisa Drouillard.</p><p>If she wins, Dornheim will promote the platform of the competition: &#8220;The Crown Cares Platform to Prevent Bullying.&#8221; The national platform falls in line with her current platform, &#8220;Some Bruises are on the Inside - Stop Bullying Now.&#8221; Dornheim said her platform hits home hard because she hit &#8220;rock bottom&#8221; in sixth grade when she was bullied.</p><p>&#8220;I get to stand up for what I believe in; it&#8217;s just a different sash,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Making a difference in children&#8217;s lives makes her continuous busy life worth the effort, Dornheim said, indicating people reach out to her on Instagram after appearances.</p><p>&#8220;Seeing the reaction on the kids&#8217; faces, it all matters to me,&#8221; she said, recounting a time recently at a Pittston Junior Knights hockey game when, after taking a picture with a child, he waved and said, &#8216;Bye, beautiful.&#8217;</p><p>Dornheim&#8217;s mother, Kim, said her daughter has always had a no bullying message but now that she wears a crown and sash &#8220;people listen to her more when her head is shiny.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Philadelphia born, NEPA raised</strong></p><p>Born in the Philadelphia area, Dornheim moved with her family to Northeastern Pennsylvania when she was in sixth grade.</p><p>A former dancer, she performed as a Philadelphia Junior Soulmate, dancing for the arena football team, Philadelphia Soul.</p><p>The family moved to White Haven and the driving back and forth &#8220;took a toll&#8221; on mother and daughter, so much so Dornheim had to give it up.</p><p>&#8220;I miss that,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Due to injuries, she also had to give up another passion of hers: cheerleading. Headed to Troy University in Alabama in the fall for sports management, Dornheim wanted to cheer in college.</p><p>&#8220;That broke my heart,&#8221; she said of having to leave cheerleading.</p><p>Dornheim misses her grandparents and friends and the atmosphere of a &#8220;city life.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t like how a mall is 30 minutes from me now,&#8221; she said.</p><p>She enjoys watching her hometown sports teams, the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia Eagles.</p><p>&#8220;And now I yell at the TV as if I was at the game,&#8221; she joked.</p><p><strong>What does a queen do for fun?</strong></p><p>&#8220;Sleep,&#8221; Dornheim said, jokingly.</p><p>Before going away to college, she tries to spend time with her parents, go out with friends and shop &#8220;more than I should.&#8221;</p><p>She attends a cyber school so she can plan around her schedule.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">USA National Miss Pennsylvania Teen Courtney Dornheim, of White Haven, is headed to Boca Raton, Florida, to represent Pennsylvania in July. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_missteenpa03-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>USA National Miss Pennsylvania Teen Courtney Dornheim, of White Haven, is headed to Boca Raton, Florida, to represent Pennsylvania in July. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Meet Courtney Dornheim</strong></p><p><strong>Age: </strong>18</p><p><strong>Mother: </strong>Kim</p><p><strong>Father: </strong>Dave</p><p><strong>Pets: </strong>Faith (dog), Boo (cat), Socks (cat)</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko</p></shirttailMeta></div>

White Haven teen Courtney Dornheim will represent Pennsylvania in USA National Teen Contest in Florida in July