Special Olympics
The ceremony recognized all of the teams that were competing. Several speakers, including athletes, were invited to come and inspire everyone to work hard and live their dreams. There was also a push to end the “R” word; high school students showed their video creation that they took to competition. Sarah was there as a volunteer but was asked to be a co-host while she was there. "I was asked to cost host with our Bronco Girl on the spot by Janelle, the volunteer coordinator! She said, "You never know what you’ll be asked to do, but that’s part of the fun!"
For those of you who don't know, the Bronco Girl, Chelsey, is the girl who rides the bronco on the field with the football team during games – pretty awesome! Sarah said, "The excitement was the best memory I took away from my experience. Everyone was happy, giving hugs, cheering, and just plain excited and amped up for the games. Win or lose, those athletes made me realize that nothing can hold me back if I put in the effort and the attitude. I’ll definitely be volunteering with the Special Olympics again."
All of the athletes were very welcoming and they thought I was a real princess. I got a proposal and was asked to dance as well! I also met Tom, another volunteer. We had a lot in common and I had a great time with everyone. It turned out to be one of my favorite appearances so far. There is nothing better than being in an environment where no one is judging anyone, and everyone is supportive and loving."
Read Across America
Miss Southeastern Idaho, Kayli Schwendamin, took advantage of Read Across America just like Miss Tri-Counties. Kayli was invited to come and celebrate a day of reading with a local school. She spent most of the day reading Dr. Suess books with different classrooms.
But her time spent was more than just reading. She was in charge of organizing readers for the 22 classrooms at the school. And then afer all that work it was time for some play!
Kayli said, "I was able to go to lunch and recess with one class and started a huge relay race. We probably had about 20 kids running and cheering for everyone. They were so cute and it was so much fun!"
New Surroundings
It has been a fun yet crazy week for Miss Idaho! Last
Monday, I had the opportunity to speak at an anti-bullying assembly in St.
Anthony at South Fremont Junior High. A fellow contestant and friend from Miss
Idaho 2011, Makenzie Stevens, recruited me to help out, since her older sister
Mikaela was spear-heading the event. For a senior project, Mikaela, along with
the BYU-Idaho public relations students decided to plan this assembly and a
whole week of activities focused on anti-bullying for the students at South
Fremont.
When Mikaela first asked me to speak and share my own
experiences with bullying, I thought, “What in the world am I going to say?” I
never had anyone physically push me over or threaten to beat me up. But then I
realized that the majority of bullying cases are not physical, but social and
emotional. When I was in 6th grade, I not only had braces, but a
contraption similar to headgear to fix my jaw. It was called the Herbst
appliance, and it irritated my mouth so badly that I had huge sores in my
cheeks and my face swelled like a balloon. All of the sixth grade boys in my
class called me names like “squirrel face” and “chubby chipmunk cheeks.” As I
look back on it now, it’s funny, but when you’re an insecure 6th grade
girl, those things can really hurt! After remembering that experience, I
actually thought of quite a few other cases where I was bullied in Junior High
and High School. Whether it was the mean girls that put me down with their rude
sarcasm, stole my things and turned other friends against me with their rumors,
or the emotionally abusive boyfriend that said I was no good without him, I was
bullied. Thank goodness I have always had such supportive parents and family to
lift me up and help me through those experiences.
Speaking at South Fremont reminded me how regularly bullying
occurs, especially in schools. To all those who have felt bullied, don’t be
afraid to stand up for yourself, remove yourself from the situation if
possible, or ask for help. Surround yourself with others who will lift you up
and empower you. Most importantly, don’t ever let someone else define you or
influence your self-confidence. God created each of us to be unique, beautiful
individuals. Embrace and love yourself for who you are! J This is also a good reminder
to everyone to watch our words and actions, that they are only positive and
uplifting to others around us.
After speaking to the Junior High students on Monday, I
spoke to a group of 4th graders at Sunnyside Elementary in Idaho
Falls on Tuesday. I played the piano and spoke to the group about goal setting
and perseverance, and used stories from my Miss Idaho and Miss America journeys
to illustrate how we can overcome any obstacles that may stand in our way. I
LOVE those elementary kids! Spending time with them is definitely one of the
sweetest parts of this job. There was a little boy named Alex who kept running
over to give me hugs, wanting to pose for more pictures, and even asking for my
autograph. I don’t have any pictures to post right now, but I’m hoping to get
some of the photos back from the teacher soon! J
Wednesday made for a busy day moving back down to Provo,
Utah to start 2nd block classes at Brigham Young University. Man is
that scholarship money useful!!!! I am so grateful to the Miss Idaho Falls,
Miss Idaho, and Miss America Organizations that work so hard to fundraise
scholarship money to empower women like myself to seek higher education. I plan
to get my Bachelor’s in Public Relations with a Marketing Minor. Since I’ve
been here since Wednesday, I can already see a difference in myself from April
2012 when I was last in school. All of the public speaking, walking into
appearances with unfamiliar surroundings, and emotional stamina that I’ve
learned as Miss Idaho is definitely translating over; I am much more confident
on a college campus and in seeking employment than I was before Miss Idaho. My
many trips from Idaho Falls to Boise also makes the shorter drive to Provo seem
like a piece of cake. ;) I am excited to jump back into college life and see
where my studies take me!
A huge congratulations is order for HannahSarah Davis, 1st
Runner Up at Miss Canyon County this weekend, and Kacie Bitzenburg who took
home the crown! These ladies are absolutely incredible, and are responsible for
adding to the high quality of the Miss Idaho Organization. After competing at
nationals, I can conclude that Idaho is home to some of the sweetest, most
talented, smart, and down-to-earth women in the nation, and I feel so blessed
to have become friends with these ladies like HannahSarah and Kacie.
See you all at Miss Rexburg this Saturday!
Whitney Wood
Miss Idaho 2012
Kiwi Loco and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals
Did you know the Miss America Organization works hand in hand with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals? The Miss America Organization has partnered with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to raise funds and awareness for children’s hospitals throughout the United States. Contestants competing in Miss America-sponsored pageants are now expected to raise a minimum of $100 in donations for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Miss America Scholarship Fund. It’s not an entrance fee, but a new service requirement. In addition, each new Miss America becomes the goodwill ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, speaking on behalf of kids treated at children’s hospitals and raising awareness around the country. It’s just another way the Miss America Organization helps young women leave a legacy of service, scholarship, and support.
Our very own Miss Southeastern Idaho has put a new twist on raising her funds by working with a local business, Kiwi Loco. If you stop by Kiwi Loco and donate a dollar to Kayli's CMNH fund you can receive 20% off of your yogurt purchase. A steal of a deal and for a great cause. Come join Kayli and Kiwi Loco in Rexburg as they team up to raise funds for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals!
Read Across America
March 1 was Read Across America, a day in which America celebrates reading. Miss Tri- Counties, Laura Hampikian, was invited to read to five different classes at Lena Whitmore Elementary School. Her is an accounting of her trip to Whitmore.
"The first class that I went to was a fifth grade class. First I read to them. After, upon finding out that singing was my talent, they asked me if I would sing to them. They specifically asked me to read “Oh the Places You’ll Go” to the tune of the Star Spangled Banner. I am proud to say that I obliged them.
In the second class, one student asked me to sign an autograph for him. I said I could do that, but then nfortunately didn’t anticipate that the rest of the class would want autographs as well. After I read them my book, I signed as many autographs as I possibly could. While I was signing, I took some questions from the class. Again, the class wanted to hear me sing. However, this time the requests were even more fun. I was asked to sing Usher. Usher! I didn’t know that kids still listened to Usher! Growing up in Atlanta, I am proud to say that have a repertoire of Usher songs memorized in my head, so I did a quite review to see if there were any that had clean lyrics. Thank you, Usher, for keeping at least the first verse of “Burn” relatively clean. So I did it. I sang Usher in front of a fifth grade class. And I even got applauded. I did discover that perhaps it is time for me to add some Taylor Swift into my list of memorized songs. I got a request to sing that it every class I went to (as well as a great many protests against me singing Taylor Swift from the boys in the class)!
In the last class I was eagerly asked, “Are you the queen of Moscow??!” To which I replied, “Well, yes, sort of!” Another student asked me, “Has anyone ever bowed down to you before?” I had to reply that honestly, no, no one has ever bowed down to me. Next thing you know the whole class was bowing down! Those kids are so silly."