Miss North Carolina visits school

By MICAH HENRY

Sophia Kellstrom, Miss North Carolina 2025, and Zoe Charles, who is Miss Carolina Foothills 2025, came to visit Taylorsville Elementary School students on February 9.

During her visit, Kellstrom talked to students about spreading kindness. One way in which Kellstrom does this is by helping and donating towards food insecurities.

Kellstrom, of Kings Mountain in Davidson County, community service initiative of “Make A Change,” fighting food insecurity, a cause she has supported since she was six years old. She represented North Carolina in the Miss America competition last September.

She also spoke about the childrens book she has written, Sophie the Superhero, which encourages kids to know that helping others is their very own superpower.

“I had the best time, alongside Miss Carolina Foothills, visiting Taylorsville Elementary to present Sophie the Superhero and inspire our future leaders to use their voices, hearts, and servant leadership to make a difference. Endless thanks to the wonderful teachers and faculty who welcomed us so warmly,” Kellstrom commented on her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/MissAmericaNC.

Kellstrom is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she earned a B.A. in Theatre with a concentration in Performance in the spring of 2022.

Zoe Charles, who is Miss Carolina Foothills and in the running for Miss North Carolina 2026, also visited the school with Kellstrom. Charles is the author of the book A Ribbon of Hope. She donated a copy to the school to help children process when a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer or another terminal illness.

Charles is a dedicated student at the University of Oklahoma, where she studies Health & Exercise Science and Dance History.

At the school, Kellstrom and Charles were given a tour of the school by Principal Andy Palmer. They were greeted by Alexander County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bill Griffin and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Dr. Alisha Cloer.