6 high school seniors to be presented at Bal Blanc de Noel
Oakmont Country Club will be the setting Dec. 30 for this year’s Bal Blanc de Noel, the annual presentation of young women who have completed a 16-month social and community service program sponsored by the La Cañada Thursday Club.
Those gathered for the black-tie gala will witness the presentation of Les Fleurettes debutantes Lauren Gilmour, Megan Gmelich, Sydney Lew, Grace Marchosky, Elena Melehani and Reagan Meyers by La Cañada Flintridge Mayor Pro Tem Terry Walker.
Thursday Club President Sheri Morton will gift each debutante with camellia charm. This is a longstanding tradition at the ball, which was established 66 years ago.
Following the presentation, the debutantes will dance the first waltz with their fathers.
Thursday Club members Kim Ortiz and Yvonne Marchosky are co-chairing this year’s Bal Blanc de Noel; Ortiz was also the chair of the Les Fleurettes Debutante Program. Other members of the committee are Jeanie Kay, Lisa Whan and Jody Platisa.
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Lauren Gilmour, a La Cañada High School senior, is a member of the California Scholarship Federation and Teens for the Advancement of Children’s Hospital. She has also participated in the Link Crew mentoring club and Bridge Peer Counseling programs. She has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and works with Funlife, a program that assists children who have disabilities. She’s looking ahead to a career in the nonprofit sector once she completes college. Lauren is the daughter of Karen and John Gilmour. Her escort is her cousin, Mason Gilmour.
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Megan Gmelich, the daughter of Carolyn and Thomas Gmelich, is a senior at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy. There she belongs to the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, the California Scholarship Federation, First Honor Roll and Amnesty International Club. She is treasurer of the Crescenta-Cañada YMCA Youth and Government delegation and an ambassador for the Los Angeles chapter for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She intends to study political science at college and hopes one day to become a prosecution attorney. Her escort to the ball is David McAndrews.
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Sydney Lew, a senior at La Cañada High School, is a member of the National Honor Society, the California Scholarship Federation, Girls Who Code, Link Crew and Best Buddies. She is an avid basketball player; last summer, she coached a team of 9-year-old boys in the Spartan Basketball League. Sydney has an interest in a future that involves science, engineering and business. She is the daughter of Christine and Bradley Lew; Scott Lew, her cousin, will serve as her escort to the ball.
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Grace Marchosky is a senior at Westridge School for Girls, where she is a member of the Latina Affinity and Community Oriented Applied Learning clubs. Inspired by her advanced placement biology class, she began an internship at the Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research and another studying gene mutation. She plans to study either biology or sports management at university and hopes to pursue a career in sports management. Grace is the daughter of Ernest Marchosky and Yvonne Marchosky. Her escort is Brennan Graves.
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Elena Melehani, the daughter of Elizabeth and Sam Melehani, is a senior at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy where she is a member of the National Honor Society, the California Scholarship Federation and Mu Alpha Theta. Last spring, she earned her Girl Scout Gold Award. She has a passion for ceramics that has earned her several awards from her school. Elena plans to attend a university to study international relations or political science. She has an interest in becoming an attorney or working for the United Nations. Her escort to the ball is Leonard Pieroni IV.
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Reagan Lynn Meyers is a senior at La Cañada High School who has served this year as a member of the Miss La Cañada Flintridge Royal Court. The daughter of Tanya and Ronald Meyers, Reagan was selected to represent her school in the National Student Leadership Conference and the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders. She was a member of the La Cañada Pep Squad for three years. She has volunteered to teach dance to disabled adults, feed the homeless at Union Station and Skid Row, and decorated rooms at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She plans to study communications in college. Her escort to the ball is Darrell Stallcup.
Twitter: @CarolCormaci
