Georgia school teacher Kristina Higgins was crowned the new Miss Georgia 2009 on Saturday night at the annual pageant in Columbus.  The Gwinnett County educator relinquished her crown and title the next day to first runner up Emily Cook.

We aren’t aware of any scandal surrounding the young woman, which is newsworthy in and of itself.  It turns out that Higgins’ middle school teaching position is a full time gig, leaving no room for her to serve as the reigning Miss Georgia.  It seems odd that this hadn’t occurred to her previously—we’re just saying….

Higgins ran as Miss Capital City on a platform of ‘autism speaks’.  She sang There Will Come A Day and along with the title, won a $15,000 scholarship.   After being crowned she said, “When I was standing there (with Cook), I didn’t really realize what was going on.  It was fast.  I’ll probably be up all night.”

We are guessing that is exactly what happened.  It suddenly occurred to her that she was not willing to give up her chosen profession for a year of county fairs and other guest appearances.

The new reigning Miss Georgia 2009, by default, is twenty-two year old Emily Cook.  She recently graduated from the University of Miami and has been accepted to the University of Georgia’s Law School.  Ironically, her education will be put on hold for the next year, while she fulfills the duties of Miss Georgia.  She will also compete for the Miss America 2010 crown in January in Las Vegas.

As for Higgins, it is back to the classroom and her students.  Will she have regrets?  Absolutely.

See more photos from the pageant below and view video of Emily Cook doing an interview this morning, followed by the Saturday night pageant video.

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