City woman now wearing pageant crown
By Stephanie O’ Connell Record-Journal staff MERIDEN — Jessica Bruenn wears many hats: wife, mother of two young boys, black belt in karate, actress in community theater and elementary school teacher. Now the lifelong Meriden resident gets to wear a crown. Bruenn was crowned Mrs. Connecticut 2009 earlier this month at the Mrs. Connecticut pageant at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Mass. Also crowned at the event were Mrs. Massachusetts, Mrs. New York, Mrs. New Hampshire and Mrs. Maine.“The Mrs. Connecticut pageantwas a great experience,” Bruenn said. “I had somuch fun. I had done some pageants in high school and I wanted to get back into it.”With a little push from her friends, Bruenn, 33, entered the pageant, which consisted of a panel interview, swimsuit and evening gown competition, and an on-stage question that Bruenn answered without hesitation.“They asked me what type of food best described me,” Bruenn said. “Of course, I said chocolate. It is sweet and reliable and always there for you when you need it. I think that it is me.”Those who know her don’t just think she is reliable, they know. As a mother to sons Clayton and Cohen and wife of the head football coach at Platt High School, Bruenn has managed to volunteer in the community— she’s focused on the fitness of youth by teaching karate classes at the Boys and Girls Club over the summer and organizing a Healthy Habits club at Southington’s Strong School, where she is a fifth-grade teacher. “We are very proud of Mrs. Bruenn,” Strong Principal Linda Lackner said. “She has organized an entire fitness program here at school. We are always focusing on physical fitness and talking about dieting. She is so enthusiastic about everything she does.”Her Healthy Habits club teaches young children the importance of physical fitness and proper nutrition. Bruenn heeds her own advice, hitting the gym six times a week in the months before the pageant.“Soon, one out of three children (nationwide) will be obese,” Bruenn said. “It causes so many health problems. If we can teach them when they are young, then we won’t see so many health problems. The pageant will really help me to get the word out.”Along with her passion for fitness, Bruenn makes room for her love of the stage. She acts in community theater once a year, leaving room for Saturday morning high school football. This year she starred in the Castle Craig Players’ production of “Pinky at Sea” in February.In July, Bruenn will head to Las Vegas for the national Mrs. United States competition. Mrs. Connecticut 2008, Lynette Letsky Piombo, has fallen into the role of Bruenn’s pageant coach, helping her prepare for the national event and organize her appearances, the first of which will be May 21 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell. “There is so much to prepare and go over,” Piombo said. “She will be all over the state. Being crowned is like getting a part-time job that you have to juggle. Jessica is the perfect person for the job. She will take is seriously and have a great time doing it.”With everything that she does, Bruenn puts her family above all. Waking up at 5 a.m., shuttling kids to and from baseball games and planning family fun nights once a week take precedence over anything else on her schedule.“Of course we are so proud of her,” her husband, Jason, said. “She works so hard at everything that she does and this is a result of that hard work. It is exciting to watch her on the stage and hearing her name called is the most exciting part.”Bruenn will wear the Mrs. Connecticut sash for a year before handing it off to her successor, who will have some pretty big shoes to fill— in this case pretty high heels.“Jessica is the perfect, perfect woman to wear this crown,” Piombo said. “She is so sweet and approachable and has a down-to-earth aura about her. Some women are in it just to collect the crowns. She is in it to represent the crown and the state.” soconnell@record-journal.com (203)317-2235
By Stephanie O’ Connell Record-Journal staff MERIDEN — Jessica Bruenn wears many hats: wife, mother of two young boys, black belt in karate, actress in community theater and elementary school teacher. Now the lifelong Meriden resident gets to wear a crown. Bruenn was crowned Mrs. Connecticut 2009 earlier this month at the Mrs. Connecticut pageant at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Mass. Also crowned at the event were Mrs. Massachusetts, Mrs. New York, Mrs. New Hampshire and Mrs. Maine.“The Mrs. Connecticut pageantwas a great experience,” Bruenn said. “I had somuch fun. I had done some pageants in high school and I wanted to get back into it.”With a little push from her friends, Bruenn, 33, entered the pageant, which consisted of a panel interview, swimsuit and evening gown competition, and an on-stage question that Bruenn answered without hesitation.“They asked me what type of food best described me,” Bruenn said. “Of course, I said chocolate. It is sweet and reliable and always there for you when you need it. I think that it is me.”Those who know her don’t just think she is reliable, they know. As a mother to sons Clayton and Cohen and wife of the head football coach at Platt High School, Bruenn has managed to volunteer in the community— she’s focused on the fitness of youth by teaching karate classes at the Boys and Girls Club over the summer and organizing a Healthy Habits club at Southington’s Strong School, where she is a fifth-grade teacher. “We are very proud of Mrs. Bruenn,” Strong Principal Linda Lackner said. “She has organized an entire fitness program here at school. We are always focusing on physical fitness and talking about dieting. She is so enthusiastic about everything she does.”Her Healthy Habits club teaches young children the importance of physical fitness and proper nutrition. Bruenn heeds her own advice, hitting the gym six times a week in the months before the pageant.“Soon, one out of three children (nationwide) will be obese,” Bruenn said. “It causes so many health problems. If we can teach them when they are young, then we won’t see so many health problems. The pageant will really help me to get the word out.”Along with her passion for fitness, Bruenn makes room for her love of the stage. She acts in community theater once a year, leaving room for Saturday morning high school football. This year she starred in the Castle Craig Players’ production of “Pinky at Sea” in February.In July, Bruenn will head to Las Vegas for the national Mrs. United States competition. Mrs. Connecticut 2008, Lynette Letsky Piombo, has fallen into the role of Bruenn’s pageant coach, helping her prepare for the national event and organize her appearances, the first of which will be May 21 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell. “There is so much to prepare and go over,” Piombo said. “She will be all over the state. Being crowned is like getting a part-time job that you have to juggle. Jessica is the perfect person for the job. She will take is seriously and have a great time doing it.”With everything that she does, Bruenn puts her family above all. Waking up at 5 a.m., shuttling kids to and from baseball games and planning family fun nights once a week take precedence over anything else on her schedule.“Of course we are so proud of her,” her husband, Jason, said. “She works so hard at everything that she does and this is a result of that hard work. It is exciting to watch her on the stage and hearing her name called is the most exciting part.”Bruenn will wear the Mrs. Connecticut sash for a year before handing it off to her successor, who will have some pretty big shoes to fill— in this case pretty high heels.“Jessica is the perfect, perfect woman to wear this crown,” Piombo said. “She is so sweet and approachable and has a down-to-earth aura about her. Some women are in it just to collect the crowns. She is in it to represent the crown and the state.” soconnell@record-journal.com (203)317-2235
Christopher Zajac /Record-Journal Jessica Bruenn runs on the playground behind Southington’s Strong School on Tuesday. Bruenn, of Meriden, is now Mrs. Connecticut 2009.
Jessica Bruenn, in front, leads a group of students in the Healthy Habits Club on a Tuesday morning jog behind Strong School in Southington.Bruenn, a fifthgrade teacher, has been crowned Mrs.Connecticut 2009. Christopher Zajac / Record-Journal
Photo courtesy of Lynette Letsky Piombo Jessice Bruenn, left, wears the 2009 crown as Mrs. Connecticut, accompanied by the 2008 title
holder, Lynette Letsky Piombo.
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