Photo courtesy of Willie Moore.
Shannon Boutwell was crowned Miss Vestavia Hills on Aug. 30 at Vestavia Hills High School.
After a night in the spotlight, the 2027 Miss Vestavia Hills and Miss Vestavia Hills’ Teen winners will now put the focus on bringing the arts and healthy habits to students throughout the city.
Shannon Boutwell took home the title of Miss Vestavia Hills, and Kate Hendon was named Miss Vestavia Hills’ Teen on Aug. 30 at Vestavia Hills High School. Both young women plan to use their talents and passions to leave a lasting mark on the city and the next generation.
From opening for Andrea Bocelli to performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Boutwell has already achieved a great deal in her 22 years. She graduated from Samford University as valedictorian in May and currently plays violin in the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, where she is also an associate concertmaster.
While she’s always loved performing, Boutwell said she didn’t start competing in pageants until her junior year of college. She’s since been named Miss Iron City and Miss Jubilee, and now she will serve the community as Miss Vestavia Hills.
Boutwell said one of her favorite parts of winning Miss Vestavia Hills was seeing all the people who were in the audience to support her, including her family, friends, church members and the Miss Alabama’s Rising Stars she mentors.
However, picking a single talent for the 90-second performance portion of the pageant was difficult considering Boutwell is a dancer, pianist and violinist. She said she wanted to find a way to showcase her love for music, which is what led her to perform “Granuaile’s Dance,” a Celtic piece originally performed by Máiréad Nesbitt.
Boutwell grew up listening to Celtic Woman with her mother, so dancing while playing the piece on her 1916 Carl Becker Sr. violin seemed like the perfect homage to those memories. Samford professor of music theory and composition Mark Lackey also helped her create the backing track for the performance.
“One of my favorite things about being in the Miss America Opportunity is the opportunity to take every part of who I am and put it together — like being a musician, children’s ministry leader, music educator, dancer and someone who is really passionate about academics,” Boutwell said. “I knew my calling and how I felt led to pursue my passions and not let one part of myself go.”
As Miss Vestavia Hills, Boutwell has several appearances booked across the city and said she’s looking forward to engaging with a variety of people. She also wants to talk with city leaders about putting a pilot orchestra program in schools.
“Eventually, Vestavia can become a model throughout the state to put strings in all of the schools,” Boutwell said. “Alabama is such a great state, and I would love to see more strength in the strings.”
Boutwell said she also hopes to host talent shows and pageants to provide fun spaces where children can build confidence, as well as raise funds for her community service initiative, Hearts for the Arts, though she said it’s more of a passion than simply an initiative.
Boutwell strives to change lives through education, performance and artistic service with Hearts for the Arts. That includes performing at more than 250 venues, organizing arts festivals, offering scholarships and working to provide strings programs in schools across the state. She also performs weekly at Children’s of Alabama and said it’s been special to see the impact music has on people. Boutwell continues to be active in her church, where she’s served as the children’s worship director and a teacher. Her church roles also led to a partnership that inspired the founding of the Candy Crush String Quartet.
In addition to local appearances, the community can also see her perform with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra at the Thompson High School Performing Arts Center Oct. 7 at 9:30 and 11 a.m. The concert is designed for young audiences and school groups and will include music by Beethoven and Mozart, as well as favorites from movies like “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter” and “Indiana Jones.”
Whether she’s performing or meeting with community members, Boutwell said she’s looking forward to her time as Miss Vestavia Hills.
“I’ve been poured into by the people in Vestavia Hills for as long as I’ve lived in the area,” Boutwell said. “I just love Vestavia so much and am excited to get out in the community.”
Photo courtesy of Willie Moore.
Handley High School senior Kate Hendon was crowned Miss Vestavia Hills’ Teen on Aug. 30 at Vestavia Hills High School.
A senior at Handley High School in Roanoke, Alabama, Hendon was named Miss Vestavia Hills’ Teen and will represent Vestavia in Miss Alabama’s Teen 2027 at Thompson High School March 5-7. Previously, she took home the crown for Miss Oak Mountain’s Teen 2026 and was fourth runner-up in Miss Alabama’s Teen 2026.
Another one of her accomplishments this year was being elected governor of the 84th American Legion Auxiliary Alabama Girls State. She also competed on the Fox show “MasterChef Junior” when she was 8 years old. But pageants have been a constant in her life for years.
Hendon has been in pageants since she was about 6 years old. Three years ago, she found her way to the Miss America Opportunity, which is the country’s leading provider of scholarships for young women. One of her favorite parts about competing in pageants is meeting other girls who share her values, morals, ambitions and experiences, she said.
“I feel most like myself whenever I’m in the pageant world,” Hendon said. “Pageants are about staying in a positive mindset and being the best version of Kate I can be.”
For her talent in Miss Vestavia Hills’ Teen, she performed a dance to “Heart of Stone” from “Six: The Musical,” which she saw live on Broadway. She said the song is about resilience and represents her story well, and she plans to dance to it again at Miss Alabama’s Teen.
As Miss Vestavia Hills’ Teen, Hendon said she hopes to help children build body confidence through her community service initiative, Choose Children: Breaking Down the Mirror, and will visit elementary schools in Vestavia to share her story. Having struggled with disordered eating as a child, Hendon wants to share ways others can create healthy eating habits, incorporate fun exercises at home, and learn affirmations to feel beautiful and avoid similar struggles.
When she’s not in the dance studio, school or preparing for her next competition, Hendon said she likes to spend time with her family and at their cattle farm. She plans to attend the University of Alabama to major in news media and minor in political science, and the scholarship money she’s won through the Miss America Opportunity will help her do that.
She’s also published a children’s book, “Katie and the Girl in the Mirror,” which follows a young girl on a journey of self-discovery and reminds children they are wonderfully made. Hendon said she hopes to have book signings in Vestavia and is eager to serve the community.
“Vestavia Hills is a very prestigious area in Alabama,” Hendon said. “I’m excited to be a part of this community that’s so passionate about each other and keeping it a great place to live.”
