I am honored to be Miss Northwest Territory! Yesterday I competed at a local program in the Miss America Organization, and I am thrilled to be Miss Northwest Territory 2012!
As Miss Northwest Territory 2012 I will spend my year promoting Happy Kids Safe Schools and supporting the Children's Miracle Network, the national platform of the Miss America Organization. As a local titleholder I get the chance to be a spokesperson for my platform and spend an entire year promoting the opportunities at the local, state and national level.
At the Northwest Territory Pageant I worked really hard and put on one of my best performances. I am thrilled to have won the talent award, and I know I delivered one of my best ever interviews before modeling evening gown and swimsuit exactly the way I had practiced so many times. Dreams really do come true, and hard work really does pay off.
And a big congratulations to Princess Gia on her own pageant success this weekend! Come along on my journey by reading my blog, and we will look forward to seeing you in June at the 2012 Miss Indiana Pageant!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Is Facebook the world's largest unsupervised elementary school?
In a survey this year, Consumer Reports revealed that approximately 7.5 million Facebook users are under the age of 13 and should be be using the popular social network. Those 7.5 million kids under the age of 13 account for about a third of the 20 million minors currently using Facebook.
The Consumer Reports survey showed that 1 million children were bullied, harassed or threatened on Facebook during the past year. So lets do the quick math: if there are 20 million kids using Facebook and 1 million of them are subjected to some for of cyberbullying, that means approximately 1 out of every 20 kids of Facebook are being bullied on the site. 1 in 20 - that means this is a problem in every neighborhood in America.
According to the survey, the parents of these kids being bullied on Facebook are not worried. Of parents of kids who are 10 years old or younger, less than 20% made their kids friend them on Facebook, which Consumer Reports says is one of the best ways to monitor their kid's online activity. Only about 10% of parents of the 10 year olds have had talks with their kids about online safety.
Federal Trade Commission chair Jon Leibowitz told Consumer Reports "We are very concerned about kids eliding around COPPA's restrictions." COPPA is the Children's Online Protection Act, which was designed to protect a child's personal information from being disclosed online. But a nine-year-old who goes on Facebook with parent approval and lies about their age to use the site is defeating the federal protection.
Online bullying is a serious problem in America and its time for serious people to demand a serious solution. Earlier this week I wrote about a school superintendent who said "Keeping kids safe is common ground." The number of kids being bullied on Facebook is staggering. Bullying causes depression that can be serious enough to lead to suicide, and suicide is a leading cause of death for teenagers in America.
Take a stand today and keep kids safe in your community!
The Consumer Reports survey showed that 1 million children were bullied, harassed or threatened on Facebook during the past year. So lets do the quick math: if there are 20 million kids using Facebook and 1 million of them are subjected to some for of cyberbullying, that means approximately 1 out of every 20 kids of Facebook are being bullied on the site. 1 in 20 - that means this is a problem in every neighborhood in America.
According to the survey, the parents of these kids being bullied on Facebook are not worried. Of parents of kids who are 10 years old or younger, less than 20% made their kids friend them on Facebook, which Consumer Reports says is one of the best ways to monitor their kid's online activity. Only about 10% of parents of the 10 year olds have had talks with their kids about online safety.
Federal Trade Commission chair Jon Leibowitz told Consumer Reports "We are very concerned about kids eliding around COPPA's restrictions." COPPA is the Children's Online Protection Act, which was designed to protect a child's personal information from being disclosed online. But a nine-year-old who goes on Facebook with parent approval and lies about their age to use the site is defeating the federal protection.
Online bullying is a serious problem in America and its time for serious people to demand a serious solution. Earlier this week I wrote about a school superintendent who said "Keeping kids safe is common ground." The number of kids being bullied on Facebook is staggering. Bullying causes depression that can be serious enough to lead to suicide, and suicide is a leading cause of death for teenagers in America.
Take a stand today and keep kids safe in your community!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
"Keeping kids safe is common ground"
"Keeping kids safe is common ground," said Dennis Carlson, superintendent of Anoka-Hennepin Schools in Minnesota in an article that ran recently in the New York Times. Carlson went on to say "I think the adults are much more interested in making us into a political battlefield than the kids are. We have people o the left and the right, and we're trying to find common ground on these issues."
Anoka-Hennepin Schools, located just north of Minneapolis, is Minnesota's largest school district with 38,000 students. The New York Times reported that the school district has suffered eight student suicides in the last two years, a tragedy that prompted state officials to declare a "suicide contagion." According to the article, even the U.S. Department of Justice is said to be investigating complaints of harassment of gay students in the district.
"Keeping kids safe is common ground." These might be the most powerful, most insightful words I've seen lately when talking about how to keep kids safe from bullying, especially when the bullying is at a level where teen suicides are occurring at a rate of about one death every 90 days in a Anoka-Hennepin Schools. This is an absolute tragedy, and it is absolutely preventable.
Take a stand today and get involved in your community and see what you can do to make your schools safer. Bullying is a problem in every single classroom in America, and we can stomp out bullying by getting involved and demanding safe schools for a our kids. Get in touch with your lawmakers and school officials. Solving this problem will lead to some heated debates, but remember, "Keeping kids safe is common ground."
Anoka-Hennepin Schools, located just north of Minneapolis, is Minnesota's largest school district with 38,000 students. The New York Times reported that the school district has suffered eight student suicides in the last two years, a tragedy that prompted state officials to declare a "suicide contagion." According to the article, even the U.S. Department of Justice is said to be investigating complaints of harassment of gay students in the district.
"Keeping kids safe is common ground." These might be the most powerful, most insightful words I've seen lately when talking about how to keep kids safe from bullying, especially when the bullying is at a level where teen suicides are occurring at a rate of about one death every 90 days in a Anoka-Hennepin Schools. This is an absolute tragedy, and it is absolutely preventable.
Take a stand today and get involved in your community and see what you can do to make your schools safer. Bullying is a problem in every single classroom in America, and we can stomp out bullying by getting involved and demanding safe schools for a our kids. Get in touch with your lawmakers and school officials. Solving this problem will lead to some heated debates, but remember, "Keeping kids safe is common ground."
Thursday, September 8, 2011
[delete] digital drama at Charlotte Russe and support Stomp Out Bullying
Cyberbullying is a serious problem in the United States, and Seventeen magazine tackled the issue head-on in their August issue. Deleting digital drama is the focus of the August edition of Seventeen. ABC Family teamed up with Seventeen on a national campaign to raise awareness about cyberbullying, or as they call it, digital drama.
Look for special [delete] digital drama t-shirts at Charlotte Russe stores. Proceeds from the [delete] shirts will go to the national Stomp Out Bullying campaign.
Whether you pick up a [delete] shirt or not, remember that it only takes one person to take a stand and help someone who is being bullied. If you see bullying happening in your school or community, take a stand and find the courage to talk to an adult about your concerns. Unfortunately, bullying might look like simple kid stuff on the surface, but it can have very serious consequences. Bullying can lead to depression and suicide, and suicide is a leading cause of death for teenagers in America.
Get involved and learn more about the bullying laws at your school or community. Send a letter or email to your representative urging them to consider legislation that will protect children at school, online and anywhere in their community. Take a stand and stomp out bullying today!
Look for special [delete] digital drama t-shirts at Charlotte Russe stores. Proceeds from the [delete] shirts will go to the national Stomp Out Bullying campaign.
Whether you pick up a [delete] shirt or not, remember that it only takes one person to take a stand and help someone who is being bullied. If you see bullying happening in your school or community, take a stand and find the courage to talk to an adult about your concerns. Unfortunately, bullying might look like simple kid stuff on the surface, but it can have very serious consequences. Bullying can lead to depression and suicide, and suicide is a leading cause of death for teenagers in America.
Get involved and learn more about the bullying laws at your school or community. Send a letter or email to your representative urging them to consider legislation that will protect children at school, online and anywhere in their community. Take a stand and stomp out bullying today!
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