Mr. & Miss AHS named Saturday

By Kathy Thomson

The Albany High School student body selected eight class members as royalty for Albany High School’s Winter Formal. 

The Winter Formal is organized each year by members of the Albany High School student council, and this year’s gala was held last Saturday, Jan. 18 at the Whitney Theatre.

Three boys and three girls from each of the four classes were nominated by their peers in class meetings held earlier this month, with the winners, one boy and one girl from each class, selected last week.

Winter Formal honorees were announced and presented during the Winter Formal Saturday night.

Mady Connally and Ben West were elected from the senior class and were named Miss AHS and Mr. AHS. 

“It was a total surprise to be chosen,” said Connally. “It was exciting!”

Other Honorees

Winning nominees from the other three classes were crowned as the Winter Formal Princesses and Princes.

Representing the juniors were Jackson Chapman as prince and Hannah Trail as princess. 

Sophomore princess is Amber White, and Luke Ivy is the prince. 

Cole Chapman and Gracie Price were selected by the freshman class. 

Miss AHS

Mady Connally is the daughter of Becky and Kelly Connally of Anson, and the granddaughter of Pat Sasin of Abilene.

The Albany High senior is the current FFA chapter treasurer, and in previous years, she served as FFA historian, student council class representative, and president of her freshman class. 

Connally is a member of the Lady Lions varsity volleyball and tennis teams. 

She was named to the first team All-District volleyball team in 2018, and even though she was injured this fall, she was still selected to the second team All-District volleyball team in 2019.

As a freshman, Connally was a member of an Albany FFA greenhand quiz team that advanced to area competition. She has also represented the local FFA chapter in horse judging, vet science, senior quiz, and rodeo team. 

Connally exhibits rabbits at the county livestock show. 

Miss AHS advanced to the Texas High School State Rodeo in poles last year, competed in Waco at the Texas Circuit finals, and qualified for Junior America in barrel racing.

She was invited to compete at The Founders Invitational Rodeo in Halletsville, and she placed in the top 10 in pole bending at the San Antonio FFA rodeo.

Connally will be on the rodeo team at Cisco College, where she will major in kinesiology. She plans to become a physical therapist.

Mr. AHS

Ben West is the son of Adam and Sonia Viertel of Albany, and of Jeremy and Mindy West of Stamford. He is the grandson of Joe and Maria Mendez of Vernon, Kyle and Sherry Viertel of Albany, Eddie West of Vernon, and Jan West of Stamford.

West started high school in Stamford and transferred to Albany his junior year.

A three-year member of the National Honor Society, West also played football, basketball, baseball, and track all four years of high school.

Last year, West was selected as the district Newcomer of the Year in football, placed on the first team All-District in basketball, and was chosen as the district Pitcher of the Year in baseball. He was named to the third team All-State as pitcher.

His freshman year, West was on a four-member Stamford FFA greenhand agricultural skills team that placed second overall in Area II, and won first place at state. He also represented Stamford FFA in dairy judging and in senior skills.

West plans to play baseball for Weatherford College while he works toward his future career as a coach.