Associate Editor
Wearing their green and white Tennessee Junior Miss T-shirts, the four Junior Miss contestants practiced Monday’s dance routines outside on the porch of their host’s family home.
They giggled and laughed and smiled and obviously enjoyed being with each other. They were having the best of times together — despite the whirlwind of activity they’ve experienced since they arrived in Cleveland on Sunday.
“We’ve been busy!” said 16-year-old Melissa Finazzo, and the others agreed. “I’m drained. We’ve been dancing for nine hours!”
“I’m exhausted,” said Hannah Fezell, as Kaylee Disterdick and Brittany Munro nodded their heads in agreement.
“But it’s still fun!” Melissa said. “We’re the luckiest. We have four girls instead of just being the only one — and the most amazing family!”
All the Junior Misses spent the day at rehearsals Monday, but only four of them are spending this Junior Miss week at the Jaggers’ family home — just one of this week’s Junior Miss host families.
The Jaggers, John, an M.D. in pulmonary and critical care, and Sheryl, a business woman and a nurse practitioner, have hosted Junior Miss contestants for the second year now.
“It’s fun. It’s all about the girls,” Sheryl said. “And four is a great number. They are their own group. They’re truly remarkable girls. It’s like they’ve known each other for years. They can keep each other company. Everybody should be a host family.”
The parents visited on Sunday as the Junior Misses saw their home away from home for the week the first time. Shy at first, the four Junior Misses admitted it took them all of 30 minutes to become fast friends and sisters.
“It’s a safe family environment,” Sheryl said. “We try to %be positive influences and role models for the girls.”
In fact, a sorority sister atmosphere prevailed the first night the four Junior Miss contestants stayed with their host family. They spent much of the night talking and getting to know each other. In fact, they all slept in the TV room, eating popcorn and watching movies ’til the wee hours of the morning, dozing off and on. By the time morning arrived, they felt like they had a new lifelong family — mom (or host mommy), dad (or host daddy, as they call Dr. John), and four sisters.
“It’s all about the girls. They’re precious, just absolutely precious. They’ll be a part of our lives forever,” said Sheryl Jaggers. “They’re all leaders. They have goals. They’re the cream of the crop. They’re all already winners.”
Being with a host family rather than a dorm offers the Junior Misses stability, nurturing, a guiding influence, smiles, comfort, acceptance, a comfortable home atmosphere and help keep their emotions on an even keel.
The Jaggers have a lot of experience with raising a family. They have three grown children of their own, so they know what they’re talking about.
One of the reasons the Jaggers were asked to be a host family was because of Sheryl’s background and experience in helping to prepare questions for programs such as Junior Miss and her own experience in programs similar to Junior Miss. She was in pageants in Georgia.
The Jaggers hope that other Cleveland families will continue to be hosts to future Junior Miss programs, which will be renamed the Distinguished Young Women of Tennessee program. And host mom Sheryl emphasizes this program is not a beauty pageant, although they are all beautiful. It is a scholarship program.
“The bond they have with their host family is remarkable. The host family has a profound influence on the young ladies,” Sheryl said. “The special relationships with each other and with their host families will keep them in touch for the rest of our lives. It’s a bond forever. I guarantee you.”
And the girls just love mom and dad Jaggers.
“And they get more amazing as we get to know them better,” Melissa said.
“On a scale of 10, this host family is a 50,” Hannah said, sincerely and emotionally, as a little tear started to well up in her eye.
“I’m going to cry,” Kaylee said.
