The 2026 Colleens

The 2026 Colleen & Her Court

2026 Colleen: Anna O'Toole

Anna Flanagan

Emma Westbrooks
Siobhan MacDonnell

Sophia Dow

2026 Mossie & Kathleen Murphy Scholarship Recipient

Sophia Dow

2026 Colleen
Anna O'Toole

Anna O’Toole, is an 18 year-old senior at Minnechaug Regional High School who goes above and beyond with her involvement in extra curricular activities. She is the daughter of Brendan and Day O’Toole, and the sister of Michael and Hallie O’Toole and was raised in Wilbraham. Anna has always felt the need to give back to the community and she is driven by the hard work ethic instilled in her by her parents and grandparents.

Throughout her high school career, Anna's dedication has allowed her to uphold a balance between sports, extracurricular activity, as well as community service. She has volunteered for numerous organizations such as The Wilbraham United Church Holly Fair, Falcon Volleyball Club, Holiday Night at Mile Tree, and The Minnechaug Craft Fair, among many others. Anna’s interest in arts and crafts and sports has enabled her to become more involved in the community. Anna has been a multi-year volunteer at a public volleyball skill program, where she has taught children how to play volleyball and also gained important life skills by participating in a team sport. Overall, Anna’s diverse skill set has allowed her to contribute to our community as a multifaceted volunteer. In her extracurricular activities, Anna has demonstrated tremendous leadership across many areas. At Minnechaug, she was a varsity volleyball player all four years and a team captain for the last two years. Anna is a member of the National Honors Society, which allows her to show leadership and academic achievement through tutoring. Anna is also employed as a Welcome Center Clerk at the Springfield Museums, where she welcomes tourists and visitors to the City of Springfield.

One of the most profound aspects of Anna’s identity is her Irish Heritage. Growing up in an Irish family has shaped Anna’s perspective on life and has helped her to develop a strong work ethic. From a very young age, hearing her grandparents' immigration stories helped her appreciate the life they have afforded her. Anna’s grandfather and grandmother emigrated from Ireland to Springfield in 1964. Anna’s grandfather, Austin O’Toole, came from Inishturk Island, County Mayo, and her grandmother, Josie O’Neill O’Toole, came from Caherscuillibeen, Dingle, County Kerry. Anna grew up hearing stories about life in Ireland and the journey to the vibrant Irish community in Springfield. This close-knit Irish community inspired both of Anna’s Aunts to run for Springfield Colleen, so they could contribute to the Irish community that welcomed their family. Anna’s Aunt, Kathleen O’Toole, was crowned Springfield Colleen in 1989, and her Aunt, Sibohan O’Toole, was crowned Springfield Colleen in 1993. Anna was raised with stories of Colleen, the Court, and how much it meant to them and her grandparents to represent the Springfield Community. Anna's pride in her Irish heritage is about more than just the title- it is driven by the diligence of her grandparents, her identity as a Catholic, the beauty of Caherscullibeen and Inishturk, and the art history of Ireland. She yearns to learn more about her culture and to share knowledge about Ireland through her art.

In Anna’s personal life, she loves playing volleyball, connecting with family and friends, going to church, and spending time with her family at the beach. With academic and athletic success, Anna has been granted the opportunity to attend Roger Williams University, where she will major in Architecture, minor in Construction Management, and also play volleyball. Anna aspires to become a licensed Architect. She is very thankful for this opportunity to represent the Springfield Parade Committee. She plans to make an impact on the world while upholding the values her Irish heritage has given her

2026
Colleen Court
Anna Flanagan

Anna Marie Flanagan is seventeen years old and a senior at East Longmeadow High School. She is the daughter of George “Timmy” Flanagan, and the late Sharon (Moltenbrey) Flanagan. Deeply committed to her studies, Anna maintains a 4.38 GPA and high honors throughout her high school career. While integrating AP and Honors courses, as well as academically and creatively motivated electives, she is also extremely active in extracurriculars and clubs at the high school.

She is currently considering several offers of admission and plans to attend a 4-year university and double-major in Political Science and Business Management on the pre-law track. She looks forward to postgraduate study, possibly at law school, and to a future career as a lawyer, specifically in corporate law. Anna’s time at the high school has been rewarding, with her holding many leadership roles, including founding and serving as president of the Bible Study club, president of the Model Congress, and vice president and former treasurer of the Women’s Empowerment club. She also serves as the class treasurer and student representative on the East Longmeadow School Committee. Most recently, she completed work with the school committee to select the district's new superintendent, attending school visits and meetings, participating in deliberations, and serving on the initial screening committee. She also is a member of the National Honor Society, working to tutor her peers and participate in community service. She has been fortunate to be recognized in her junior year in the History and social studies department, to receive an AP scholar award, and to be recognized as the ELHS health department student of the month.

Outside of the classroom, Anna can often be found participating in community service opportunities, at her Irish dance school, or being

reative and hanging out with friends. Anna has participated in a variety of community service and volunteer opportunities. Most recently, Anna completed her own Toys for Tots drive and raised money through a school fundraiser to buy toys to donate to local charities for the holiday season. She also volunteers at the Springfield Police Learn to Skate and, in the past, has volunteered as a 1-on-1 special education teacher and a teacher's assistant at the ELPS summer literacy academy. Additionally, Anna spends her Saturdays at the John Boyle O'Reilly Club. She has been dancing at the Claddagh School of Irish Dance for 13 years, and has been teaching alongside other student teachers and Mary and Bill Quinn for 6 years. While she adores performing at many different events and groups, she is strongly dedicated to her teaching, helping choreograph new dances, and teaching children ages 3-18 the essential skills to be amazing dancers. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her friends, creating artwork with oil pastels or painting, listening to music, playing guitar, or spending time with her Noni, Beverly Moltenbrey, who she says "is my best friend in the entire world". She is also intensely passionate about her faith, attending an all-girls Bible study and regularly attending Sacred Heart Parish in Springfield.

Anna emphasizes how grateful she is for her Irish heritage and celebrates it throughout the year. She is ecstatic because she is going to Ireland in April with her dance school and hopes to learn more about the country that sparked her passion and walk where her ancestors walked. Her family history has deep roots in Dublin and the Blasket Islands, with her great-grandfather, a former professor at Trinity College in Dublin. She is grateful to her family for their support and for passing down stories of their heritage, and is beyond excited for the duties for her and her fellow Colleens.

2026
Colleen Court
Emma Westbrooks

Emma Lyn Westbrooks is a 17-year-old senior at Agawam High School. She is the daughter of Russell and Kelly Westbrooks and the proud older sister of Nicholas Westbrooks. Emma is passionate about dance, helping others, and serving her community in meaningful ways.

Emma’s love for outreach began at a young age when she became a Daisy Girl Scout in kindergarten. She enjoyed earning badges with her Daisy

isters, especially those that involved giving back. Through Girl Scouts, Emma visited the elderly, organized clothing drives, volunteered at blood drives, and served at local soup kitchens. She

continues to volunteer at the soup kitchen her grandmother founded at her church, where she enjoys talking with guests and making everyone feel welcome. “It doesn’t hurt anything to be kind to others” is a mantra Emma truly lives by.

In addition to Girl Scouts, Emma has been involved with several organizations that reflect her passion for service. One of her favorites is Girls on the Run, which empowers young girls to build confidence and healthy habits. She also volunteered for many years with the Ride to Remember, an event honoring fallen police officers who will never be forgotten. One year, Emma made over 600 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to hand out to riders at rest stops, helping keep them fueled during their journey.

Emma’s other great passion is dance. Now in her fifteenth year, she can be found in the studio four days a week. She loves competition season, and this year will be performing two solos, two group dances, and a production of Aladdin, in which she plays Jafar. For the past few years, Emma has also assisted with classes for younger dancers, which has become one of her favorite roles. She enjoys encouraging beginners, building their confidence, and cheering them on as they start their own dance journeys.

After high school, Emma looks forward to attending college, where she plans to study sports management and communications. She has always dreamed of working for a professional sports team as a manager and promoter. Emma enjoys attending all kinds of sporting events, especially women’s sports, and hopes to begin an internship with a college or professional team while in school to gain hands-on experience in the field.

In her free time, Emma loves going to the beach. She grew up spending summers on Cape Cod with her family, and many of her favorite childhood memories were made at Mayflower Beach in Dennis. She is also a thrill seeker and has traveled to several Six Flags parks, Universal Studios in Florida, and Disney World, riding every roller coaster and thrill ride she could. Emma enjoys spending her downtime with family and friends and has had the same two best friends since kindergarten. She always tries to be there for the people closest to her.

Emma is very proud of her Irish heritage. Her great-grandmother, fondly known as Nanny, was Irish and deeply proud of it. Her family traces its roots to County Cork, and Nanny often spoke about Ireland, reminiscing about family members and the times she traveled there to visit. Every Saturday, Emma and her mother would visit, share tea and cookies, and listen to her stories while offering encouragement.

Through those moments, Emma learned many values from her Irish heritage: putting family first, taking time to truly listen to others, making people feel heard and understood, sharing laughter and jokes, and always helping when you can. She also learned the importance of perseverance — never giving up on yourself, no matter what challenges you face—and the value of being hospitable and welcoming others with kindness. Emma strives to live out these traditions every day, hoping to make her family proud and to help others feel cared for. Carrying the lessons of family, resilience, and generosity passed down through her Irish heritage, Emma moves forward ready to make others feel seen, valued and cared for.

2026
Colleen Court
Siobhan MacDonnell

Siobhan MacDonnell is a 17-year-old senior at Longmeadow Highschool. She is the daughter of Matthew and Kim (Daigle) MacDonnell of Longmeadow. Siobhan comes from a large family and is the youngest of seven girls. Siobhan has gotten to know the Irish community of Springfield well through both her family and Irish dancing with her sisters at Black Rose Academy. Throughout her high school career, Siobhan has balanced strong academics with meaningful involvement in extra curricular activities and community service.

Siobhan's commitment to helping others began when she was just six years old, volunteering with her family for the Special Olympics track and soccer teams. Siobhan is now an active member of three clubs at her high school: Her First, PAWS, and the Red Cross Club. Her First is a club where she and her peers volunteer at women's shelters in the Springfield community and fundraise for them. At the women's shelters, Her First members babysit, tutor, and teach kids life skills. Thus creating a deep connection with the children while the mothers are getting an education or working. In addition to her passion for working with kids, Siobhan has a deep love for animals, which she further developed through her work with the PAWS club. The PAWS club actively helps endangered animals and animals in shelters. Their work consists of fundraising via bake sales and making blankets to donate to the Dakin Animal Shelter. Her final club is The Red Cross Club, which organizes blood drives for students at Longmeadow High School to participate in and also hosts collection drives for the Holyoke Soldiers' Home and local homeless shelters.

Siobhan gracefully balances her schoolwork and volunteer commitments, while also working after school as a babysitter and a tutor. As the youngest of seven, she values the chance to mentor

children and continues to nurture her love for working with them through babysitting two young kids. In addition to babysitting and tutoring, Siobhan works as a hostess at a pizzeria, where her friendly and outgoing personality shines. She enjoys chatting with the customers and connecting with people in her local community.

Looking to her future, Siobhan is currently considering offers of admission from several colleges, with the University of Hartford as her top choice. She plans to major in accounting with a minor in finance and hopes to create a pro bono program to provide financial literacy to immigrants and low-income communities.

Siobhan's Irish heritage has instilled in her a deep sense of community, resilience, and pride. It also connects her to her family and ancestors. From a young age, celebrating her Irish roots has been an essential part of her identity. She was warmly welcomed into the strong Irish community in Springfield when she began Irish dancing at the John Boyle O'Reilly Club, where her dad and his siblings, and even her grandparents, had danced over the years. She started at age 7 and continued for more than 5 years. Irish dance gave Siobhan a firsthand appreciation for the strong bonds that unite this community and helped her recognize the privilege of being both known and supported within it. Dancing alongside her sisters made St. Patrick's Day celebrations especially meaningful, and it was at these events that she first witnessed the Colleens' deep connection to the community. Honoring these traditions helps her connect to her ancestors, and Siobhan hopes to visit Ireland someday to see the counties that her family hails from, County Kerry and Clare. These experiences have filled her with immense pride in her Irish heritage and a deep love for the greater Springfield Irish community.

2026
Colleen Court
Sophia Dow

2026 Mossie & Kathleen Murphy Scholarship Recipient

Sophia Dow, twenty-one, of East Longmeadow, is a dedicated student at Springfield College, pursuing a major in Early Childhood Education with minors in Psychology and History. Raised by her mother, Leah Dow, Sophia credits her resilience, compassion, and strong work ethic to the values instilled in her from an early age, expressing deep gratitude for her mother’s guidance and support, which have shaped both her personal and academic journey. Her Irish heritage has profoundly influenced her life, inspiring a commitment to community and a dedication to sharing cultural knowledge with younger generations. Sophia actively fosters this heritage through tutoring students in history, emphasizing immigrant experiences and cultural identity, and helping others understand the resilience, perseverance, and community spirit that have defined Irish-American experiences. These efforts reflect her passion for education and her desire to connect others with their cultural roots.

On campus, Sophia demonstrates leadership and service through multiple roles. She serves as president of Kappa Delta Pi, the education honor society, creating opportunities for collaboration and academic growth among peers. As a New Student Orientation leader, she supports first-year students as they navigate the transition to college life. She also works in the Education Department, assisting faculty and helping plan events and opportunities for local students to visit campus, fostering connections between Springfield College and the broader community. Additionally, Sophia volunteers with Pride Cares, a peer-to-peer mental health support initiative, and served on the hiring committee for the Assistant Director of Educator Preparation and Licensure, contributing her perspective to strengthen programs and support future educators.

Sophia’s dedication to early childhood education extends beyond campus. She works at Longmeadow Montessori School, guiding young learners as they develop independence, confidence, and problem-solving skills. She also volunteers in her mother’s kindergarten classroom, assisting students during a pivotal stage of their development and fostering a supportive, engaging, and inclusive learning environment. These experiences have strengthened her ability to mentor, nurture, and inspire children and young learners, blending empathy, patience, and intentional guidance in every interaction.

Beyond education, Sophia has consistently committed herself to service and community engagement. Through tutoring, mentoring, and volunteer initiatives, she has supported children, peers, and families, promoting growth, learning, and well-being. Her work reflects the values instilled by her upbringing, her Irish heritage, and her belief in the importance of giving back to the community that shaped her.

Grounded in a philosophy of service, education, and cultural pride, Sophia demonstrates perseverance, dedication, and empathy in every endeavor. Looking forward, she aspires to continue educating and inspiring children, instilling in them the same values of resilience, empathy, and cultural appreciation that have guided her own journey, while making a lasting impact on her community through teaching, mentorship, and volunteer service.

The 2026 Colleens

The 2026 Colleen & Her Court

2026 Colleen Anna O'Toole

2026 Colleen
Anna O'Toole