Wellness Day!

I was honored as Miss Fulton County to be able to attend a special event held at the Riverfront Center in Amsterdam. A wellness day was organized to inform the community on the vast and extensive programs that our area can provide to it's citizens. From Catholic Charities to NAMI various local organizations where represented. I was given the opportunity to speak and learn about these amazing programs. Not only was I there as Miss Fulton County, but I was also there as an employee of the Mental Health Assoication. I am proud to be able to represent such a strong force in our community!

While at the community event, I also ran into Miss Mohawk Valley's Outstanding Teen, Ashley McDuffee. She is the bomb.com!

Something to think about...Part Two!

I was exposed to this article by the very lovely and super amazing Heather Shaffer, Miss Fulton County 2010! What an amazing support group I have! This is from the CNN website:

www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/05/10/granderson.yearround.school/index.html?hpt=C2

Although this does not directly relate to the message I am trying to send with my platform, the idea and issue is one that should not be ignored.

We need year-round school to compete globally
By LZ Granderson, CNN ContributorMay 10, 2011 11:43 a.m. EDT

Grand Rapids, Michigan (CNN) -- As a nation, either our kids are getting dumber or everyone else's are getting smarter. American 15-year-olds ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math in a study of students in 34 nations and nonnational regions.

The Program for International Student Assessment study, coordinated every three years by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, definitively shows U.S. students are no longer ready to compete against the world's brightest.

Which brings me to this: Why are we still giving them the summer off?

As it stands, only eight of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries that took part in the study in 2009 have a lower high school graduation rate than we do. It's so bad in some schools, educators have a nickname for them: dropout factories.

That's a national crisis with a potential for significant economic impact. The organization estimates that by boosting our scores for reading, math and science by 25 points over the next 20 years, the United States would gain $41 trillion over the lifetime of the generation born in 2010. As cash-strapped as we are, can we really afford to leave that kind of money on the table? Instead of year-round school as curiosity, I think it's time it becomes a government-enforced standard.


LZ GrandersonRemember recently when the nation got all in a tizzy after the International Monetary Fund reported China would pass us as the world's largest economy in 2016? Well, considering Shanghai ranked No. 1 in the education report, that shouldn't really surprise anyone.

To make matters worse, our kids have no idea just how far behind they really are.

When the results of the test were released in the winter, Arne Duncan, U.S. Department of Education secretary, pointed out that despite not being in the top of any of the subjects tested, "U.S. students express more self-confidence in their academic skills than students in virtually all OECD nations. This stunning finding may be explained because students here are being commended for work that would not be acceptable in high-performing education systems."

It's as if the United States were cast in one of those cliché Hollywood movies as the 29-year-old dumb and balding jock who still wears his high school varsity jacket.



Granderson: Eliminate summer vacations

2010: Traditional vs. Year-round schools

2009: So long summer break? RELATED TOPICS
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Arne Duncan
U.S. Department of Education
Economic Development
Cutting into summer vacation won't solve all our education problems -- most research points toward the quality of the teacher as the biggest influencer -- but more class time could help. At 180 days, we have one of the shortest school years of the countries tested. South Korea, for example, has 220 school days, and a No. 2 ranking in math. Finland is first in math and science at 190 days.

Then there's this: Harris Cooper, a summer-learning expert at Duke University, pored over a century's worth of data and found that each summer, our kids lose about a month of progress in math and that low-income students lose as much as three months' worth of reading comprehension.

Again, that's each summer.

More than a month of teaching time at the beginning of the school year is spent re-teaching the stuff our kids forgot over the break. This may be one of the reasons why the report suggests Finnish 15-year-olds are one to two years ahead of our kids in math and science.

Now I hear the cry from some who say "Let our kids be kids," but what does that mean today? The reason for summer vacations in the first place was that little Johnny was needed in the fields to help the family during growing season. Today more people live in cities than they do in rural areas, and that farming structure has been obsolete for some time. If our kids aren't working on the farm all summer long, what are they doing?

Watching TV?

Playing video games?

Getting into trouble?

Heck, a lot of our kids' summers and holiday breaks are already structured around Amateur Athletic Union practices and tournaments. Why is it so wrong to suggest structuring the summer around more education, especially when the amount students receive is no longer enough to keep them competitive on the world stage?

In July 2008, then-Sen. Obama suggested American children should learn a second language. That was met with a great deal of criticism, as if being bilingual and more educated was somehow un-American.

You want to know what's un-American?

Not being innovative. Refusing to think outside the box.

We used to be a nation of entrepreneurs and trailblazers, but now we're just dogmatic consumers. We want problems to be fixed but we don't want the solution to be an inconvenience. So we look for silver bullets, which in our culture usually means tossing more money at things. But guess what? We spend on average about $30,000 more per student than the other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, yet the best we can do is middle of the road.

Since when did chanting "We're No. 25!" become acceptable?

Today, if you want to keep your child in a learning environment during the summer, you most likely have to pony up hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to enroll them in a program or two. Families who can't afford to do that depend on scholarships or programs funded by government grants or corporations. If you grew up poor like me, and no extra income was available for transportation to those programs, you simply stayed home and watched TV every day for hours.

In retrospect, I would have been better served being in school.

I would imagine teachers wouldn't be thrilled to give up their long vacation. And the athletic apparel companies that enjoy the income Amateur Athletic Union summer leagues generate wouldn't like it much either. Nor would the colleges and universities that rake in extra cash brought in by hosting summer programs.

But the biggest obstacle to re-evaluating summer vacations is probably our love of the familiar. As humans we are naturally averse to change and the end of summer vacations would greatly alter the way we've done things for more than 100 years.

But what terrible thing would happen if we made the entire year part of the education process, with mini-breaks sprinkled throughout? Year-round schooling would not be repealing the child labor laws of 1938 and it won't force kids to lose their childhood. But it would give our young more of a fighting chance. The world is getting smaller, the world is getting smarter and if you look around you'll see when it comes to education, we're no longer basking in the glow of superiority.

We're wallowing in mediocrity. And our kids don't even know it.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of
LZ Granderson.

Senior Prom

Oh my goodness! My life has been so busy during the past month, I have barely had time to breath. I feel it's important to give you all an update on the happenings of Miss Fulton County 2011.

I had the privilege of being an honored guest at a very unique event that was organized by the Fulton County Office for the Aging. Now as you may know, Fulton and Montgomery counties are rapidly approaching prom season and the Office of the Aging provided a unique opportunity to our Senior Citizens. I attended their annual Senior Prom! Even better than the opportunity to attend was the honor of crowning the prom King and Queen and their Court! I have to say that the evening that the Office of the Aging put on for these kind people was magnificent. The food was wonderful, the decorations were beautiful, and the entertainment was well, entertaining! Even the wait-service was excellent, as it was local middle and high school Honor Society members. I was warmly welcomed from the minute I walked in the door! It was such a wonderful experience!

Just something to think about...

My platform has been the importance of higher education. Here is a helpful article article I found on the front page of Yahoo.


Before You Choose That College...


The Wall Street Journal


Veronica Dagher, On Tuesday March 15, 2011, 4:47 pm EDT
As college acceptance letters start to roll in, parents will soon have a better idea of their children's educational options for the years ahead.

But before students select a college and head off to school, financial advisers say there are a few things many families need to consider about how to handle the costs, get the most for their money and protect themselves against unexpected developments.

Below, five advisers share their words of advice for parents and their college-bound children.

1. THE ADVICE: Encourage your child to select a career first, and then a school.

THE REASON

Many parents and children approach college as a time to sort things out, to delve into a lot of areas and see which ones the child finds most inspiring. Greg Gilbert, an Atlanta-based financial adviser, sees it differently.

College, he says, is preparation for a career. But children often first think about what school they want to attend and then determine what career they will pursue. That can result in wasted time and money.

Thinking first about career options "helps children focus their college experience instead of hopping around from school to school," says Mr. Gilbert. It also may help cut down on costly extra classes in college and reduce or eliminate the need to retrain in the future, he says.

Of course, many high-school students have no idea what kind of work they want to do after college. Mr. Gilbert recommends that clients have their children work with a professional career counselor who can walk them through career options. In addition, he recommends that children shadow or at least visit with their parents' friends or other professionals in their field of interest and try to get volunteer or paid experience in the given field as early as possible.

"The key is not just saying 'Oh, I want to do this,' but instead, really actively vetting out the [career] idea to see if it's the right choice," he says.

2. THE ADVICE: Don't promise your child you'll pay the entire tuition.

THE REASON

It isn't that you don't intend to do it when you say it. But, warns Bob Goldman, a Sausalito, Calif., financial planner, "when the time comes, the parents may not be able to pay it." Being realistic, he says, will help the student make better-informed decisions.

The promise has become even more difficult for some of his clients to live up to after they have lost their jobs or suffered some other financial setback, he says. "The parents may now have to wrestle with [the choice between] paying for college or saving for retirement, and that makes for infinite pressure and pain on both sides," he says.

Mr. Goldman recommends skipping the promise, no matter how well-meaning and heartfelt, and instead have an honest talk with the child about the financial realities of the situation. He suggests parents might say, "I can pay X amount. If you want to go to a more expensive school, you'll have to borrow the money."

3. THE ADVICE : When deciding between an in-state public university on the one hand and a private university or out-of-state public university on the other, make your child responsible for at least some of the costs of choosing the more expensive option.

THE REASON

This takes away the "blank check" mentality when students weigh their education options, says John Gugle, a certified financial planner based in Charlotte, N.C. He also believes students are more likely to value their education when they bear some responsibility for the financial impact of their decision.

He recommends parents say the following to their children: "If you choose to go to the in-state public university, then we will pay all four years. However, if you choose to go to the private or out-of-state public university, then we will pay for three years and you will be responsible for one year."

Also, if the child goes to school beyond four years, the child should have to fund that additional cost, Mr. Gugle says.

This makes the child think "long and hard" about what they can afford, he says. Many of his clients have taken his advice, he says, and it has helped defuse a "thorny" decision-making process.

"Unfortunately money issues will often influence the college choice," Mr. Gugle says. "Parents and children need a way to balance the costs with the future benefits."

4. THE ADVICE: Make a deal with your child: Underperform and you're out.

THE REASON

"The whole concept is to promote responsibility and help the children understand this is a very important financial endeavor," says Donald Duncan, a certified financial planner based in Downers Grove, Ill.

Going to college should be considered the child's first real job, says Mr. Duncan, and job success should be defined by the child's GPA.

"If their GPA isn't satisfactory, they get fired from the job," he says. That means finding a less expensive option, perhaps a different college or a trade school.

If the parents are footing the bill, they should agree with the student on a certain minimum GPA before the child starts college. If the child is going away and the parents anticipate an extended adjustment period, the agreement might allow a certain amount of time for the student to make the grade. But the parents need to enforce the agreement if the child doesn't live up to the bargain, Mr. Duncan says.

In that case, a good community college may be a better value for the parents until the child is mature enough to realize the financial burden of a college education on the parents and is dedicated enough to make the cost worthwhile.

5. THE ADVICE: Help children protect their health and finances from uncertainty and risk.

THE REASON

Once a child turns 18, parents no longer have the legal authority to access the child's medical records or make health or financial decisions for the child, says Laura Mattia, a Fair Lawn, N.J., certified financial planner.

That loss of control over a child's care "is a hard thing for a parent to hear," she says, but families need to create a "game plan" to address the unexpected.

It should include three documents—a health-care directive, a HIPAA release and power of attorney—which together allow parents to access a child's medical records and make decisions on the child's health care and finances if necessary.

Ms. Mattia gave this advice to a client whose child was going to study in London for a semester. The client initially was shaken by the realization that she could no longer make crucial decisions on her daughter's behalf without taking legal action, Ms. Mattia says.

But it prompted a conversation between mother and daughter that brought into the open the anxiety they were both feeling about being so far apart and introduced the daughter to the importance of financial and estate planning. It also prompted the mother to take another look at her own estate plan.

"It was an empowering discussion for both the mother and daughter," Ms. Mattia says.

Corrections & Amplifications

HIPAA is the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to it as HIPPA.

Ms. Dagher is a reporter for Dow Jones Newswires in New York. She can be reached at veronica.dagher@dowjones.com.

An evening at Catholic Charities...

On February 23rd, I had the privilege of working in the Family Room at Montgomery County's Catholic Charities office. The opportunity to do this was offered to me by an amazing woman that I work with at the after school program I coordinate. When she proposed this opportunity to me, I asked her to explain a little bit of what she does at Catholic Charities and what exactly is the Family Room. She explained to me that not only does she work at the after school program, but that she holds many titles for Catholic Charities. These include educating local school children about bullying, peer pressure, and substance abuse. A new position she has earned is director of the new Family Room. The Family Room is a resource for children and parents. This space allows for room for children to play along with space and resources for parents to take advantage of. The children have access to a multitude of toys and games, while the parents have access to a food pantry and supportive staff who provide many services to them.

From the time I entered the door until the moment I left, I had a blast! I arrived before any families arrived and was able to see and learn a lot about the space and Catholic Charities. Shortly after, the families began arriving. Since I had my crown and sash on, many of the children were staring at me. After the children settled in with the toys of their choice, I approached and asked if I could play too! The first response I received was, "YES!!!" Shortly after I sat down on the floor, which in a skirt and five inch heels is a challenge, I received my first question from a five year old.
"So what are you, some kind of princess?"
I explained that that is exactly what I am and that the blocks that she was playing with are to build my castle. So we built a castle! That stood for approximately 2 minutes until the dragon attacked it and knocked it down! Although a dragon attacked my castle, the children quickly began to warm up to me, and as soon as that happened, I had about 5 little ones attached to my hip.

The open house was Valentine's Day themed and the craft was creating beautiful Valentine cards. There were all different kinds of supplies for the children to use! I didn't participate in this activity as I was helping clean up the play area, however I did benefit from the craft! I received not one, but five Valentine's cards from one boy, within the span of about 10 minutes! Every time I looked up from the toys on the floor, I was being handed another Valentine! I thanked him each time he gave me one and I still have them all!

After the craft was finished, play-time resumed. This time, I was seated at a very small table in a very small seat, again a challenge in heels and a skirt. This section of the play area was set up like a kitchen with plastic food, a sink, and cupboards. When I sat down, there was only one cup for tea in front of me, however, within five minutes I was being served everything from "soup" to "steak" and even "melted icecream," which was the chef's specialty.

I spent about two hours in the Family Room and was able to learn so much from the experience. Catholic Charities is such an amazing organization that is working toward improving the lives of the members of my community. We are fortunate to have such a resource in available to those who are interested in using it. I would also like to point out what an interesting, vibrant, and enthusiastic group of children I had the pleasure of meeting. They were all very polite and kind. I hope to have the opportunity to build another castle with them! Finally I would like to express the sense of awe I feel when I think about the work that the employees in the organization put in to make these resources a success. They are very passionate and caring for those that they work with and always put 150% into everything they do. Their goals are to work toward improving the quality of life for the members of my community and I can't thank them enough for all of their hard work! It was truly an honor to have been asked to come and support the organization!

Letter to the Editor!

Take a look at my Letter to the Editor that was posted in the Leader Herald! Leave a comment and let me know what you think!



http://www.leaderherald.com/page/content.detail/id/535310/Winning-was-an

Miss Fulton County 2011

Yaay!! I am soo excited to be able to create my first blog as Miss Fulton County 2011! I'll take my cues from Miss Fulton County 2010, Heather Shaffer and begin with an introduction of myself.  My name is Kieren Sheridan.  I am a 23 year old graduate of SUNY Oneonta with my B.S. in Spanish.  In the fall I will be attending Grad school to receive my degree in Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages.  I have always had a love of learning in general but particularly learning languages.  I hope to work as an English as a Second Language teacher. 

On Saturday, February 5th I was crowned Miss Fulton County 2011. This year was a particularly special year for the pageant, as it was the 40th Anniversary of the competition. As it was such a special occasion, there were several special occurances during the show. For example the panel of judges were all former titleholders in Miss Fulton County. As a contestant, I felt that this made the experience easier, since I knew that the judges were once in my shoes. The theme of the show was also centered around the special anniversary that the pageant was celebrating. The 40th anniversary is also considered the, "ruby," anniversary and so several aspects of the show hightlighted this fact. The stage was decorated with ruby colored cloth and a crown with ruby stones.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of the sponsors who made this event possible. Your support has allowed the Miss Fulton County program to grow and thrive. As a contestant and new titleholder, I feel that I can speak for all participants when I say thank you. We all appreciate your dedication to the empowerment of the young women of Fulton County.

I am thrilled to have this opportunity to represent the Fulton County. Check back and see what I have been up to!

Last post from Miss Fulton County 2010

I cannot believe that this is my last post as your Miss Fulton County. This year has been an amazing journey and I have loved every single minute of it. Thank you, Fulton County, for accepting me and supporting me throughout the year! This has been truly incredible and I am sad to see it end. I cannot wait to see who is crowned tonight. I am sure they will be a wonderful representative of Fulton County! Best of luck to all of the participants tonight--you are all impressive! Again, thank you to everyone, especially the Miss Fulton County Board of Directors, for making this a truly special year for me!

Only One Week Remaining

I cannot believe that I only have one week left as Miss Fulton County. This year has flown by, and it has only been expedited by how busy I have been these past couple of weeks! This weekend was especially busy! Thursday was my 22nd birthday, but I did not have much time to celebrate with how busy I was! Thursday night, after classes and practice, I drove to Broadalbin because I had the mcats the next morning. After some last minute studying, I was able to at least get a decent amount of sleep. It was an early morning the next morning since I had to be at the testing center in plenty of time. I took the test from 8am until 1pm...it was a long, long day, but I feel calm after taking the test. I do not want to jinx anything, so I do not want to attempt to guess how I did! After getting ready my mom and I had to drive back to Elmira so that I could cheer at my senior game. Since I am the only senior on the team, it was necessary to make the drive. I did not realize until after, but that was the last game that I will cheer in my collegiate career! After the game ended around 10, my mom and I got ready to again drive to Broadalbin since the Miss Fulton County workshop was early the next morning. We did not arrive home until 2:30am! I had to finish a few things for the workshop, so after everything I was only able to get 3 hours of sleep. But it was an early morning as I had to be at the workshop by 7:30. Thankfully I was able to find enough energy to have a long day yesterday too!

The workshop ran from 8 until 5, and we were busy the entire time! The seven contestants learned the opening number, the finale, and the walking patterns for swim wear and evening wear. Each contestant also ran through their talent and had a mock interview to prepare them for saturday. I can honestly say that it is anyone's crown to win. I was impressed by how much they have grown in the past year, since I have competed with all except one previously. I believe that any of them would be a great representative for Fulton Canty.

I cannot believe that I only have one week remaining as Miss Fulton County. This year's pageant is going to be one to top! We have former Miss Fulton Counties returning for the show! The opening number is great! The stage is going to look beautiful! The board definitely outdid themselves this year! Miss New York, Claire Buffie will also be joining us and performing! This is going to be such a fun show and I cannot wait, even though I do not want it to end...Everyone should get their tickets and join us for the 40th anniversary of the Miss Fulton County Pageant!

Busy week!

This week is going to be a big week, and a very important week for me. There are four days until my 22nd birthday, there are five days until I take the MCAT and cheer at my senior game, and six days until the next Miss Fulton County Workshop! My MCAT scores have been improving with each full length practice exam I've taken, so I am not as worried as I used to be about the MCATs! I am still nervous, of course, but I am not deathly afraid of it any longer, yay!

I am very excited to see all of this year's contestants again. I know that they have been hard at work since the last workshop almost a month ago. It is so hard to believe that in two weeks, one of these contestants will be the next Miss Fulton County! And, I will be done with the MCATs, hopefully forever.

It is interesting that Miss Fulton County has helped to distinguish big chapters in my life. I first competed in the pageant in 2007, when I was finishing out my senior year and was excited about the big changes that were to come with entering into college life. Now, I am giving up my title when I am finishing out my senior year in college and am looking forward to seeing what life has in store for me from here.

I only have about an hour until my next MCAT study break, so it is time to sit back, relax, and not even think about them for a while =)

First workshop is done!

Hey everyone! The first Miss Fulton County workshop was today! It was so great! All seven contestants were there to do contracts, take their headshots for the program books, and do some mock interviews. All of the contestants are great and the judges are definitely going to have a tough time picking the winner! The constants also got to hear about what Aaron and I have worked on for production so far! I am so excited for this year's show! It is going to be such a fun year, and the music definitely showcases this!
As promised to the contestants, here is this year's music choices! Opening number: Telephone by Lady Gaga; swimsuit: Could it be You by H*wood; evening wear: Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars; and for the finale: Move Like You Gonna Die. So what do you think? I'm very happy with our choices and the contestants seemed to be excited about it as well. I also have the walking patterns all set for the show. We also have some great talent that will be performing at the 40th anniversary show, including the current Miss New York, Claire Buffie! I will also be performing two dances at the show, which I am looking forward to. We have also invited all former Miss Fulton Counties to the show, and it sounds like the great majority of them will be able to make it!
I believe that is all of the Miss Fulton County news I have for now! Stay up-to-date with everything MFC by not only following this blog, but also by checking the Miss Fulton County website and the MFC Facebook page!

Merry Christmas!

>Hello everyone! It has been a while since I have blogged, so I figured Christmas Eve would be the perfect time. I am loving being home after a very successful first term. I finished out the term with a 3.931 GPA, bringing my overall GPA to a 3.67. I'd like to round that up to a 3.7, which is only 0.1 away my goal of 3.8! Now that I have finished studying for the term, the next few weeks are solely dedicated to studying for the MCATs, which I will take again January 28th. I have been taking a Kaplan course to help improve my score. I have been absolutely loving it, and I am actually beginning to understand concepts and subjects that had escaped me in the past. I am really hoping to improve my score and get at least a 30Q on the MCATs this time. I have a few more weeks to prepare and to hopefully meet this goal!

Getting back to Christmas...This is an amazing season, and a great time to remember that we are not the only people in this world. I found this great article that reminds us all that this season is an great time to help others. Click here to read it! Please take the time to read this article and take what it says to heart. As I have started whenever promoting my platform, you do not have to do a great project in order to make a difference; it is the little things that we do each day that make a difference to those around us. Offer to help that elderly lady struggling with her groceries. Check in on a neighbor that you know does not have a lot family to visit on the holidays. Help your neighbors clear off the snow. It is these little things that we take for granted that truly make a difference to those around us. Just the other day an elderly lady dropped her receipt, and I picked it up for her. I will not forget the look of sincere gratitude as she thanked me for doing such a small action. We should help those around us, and take the focus off of ourselves for once. Please take this message to heart, and apply it all of the time rather than just during the holiday season.

On another note, we are planning out this years pageant! YAY! I have started working on walking patterns, we are finishing picking out music, and I have started working on my dances! I am so excited! This year's pageant is going to be absolutely amazing, and everyone should come check it out if they can! Aaron is always amazing at planning out the pageant, and I am sure he will out-do himself this year! We have a great group of contestants, and any one of them would be a great representative for Fulton County. I cannot wait to see who I am crowning this year!

I know I said that I would post a picture of me in my crown with my SOAR class, but of course I left my USB cable in my dorm room...so that will have to wait until I return to Elmira January 10th.

I wish all of you a merry Christmas and a very happy new year!

Appearance Today!

I will be making an appearance for Mr. Kalweit's 4th grade classroom at Hendy Ave. Elementary, where I volunteer for the SOAR program. It is a surprise for the students, and I cannot wait to see how excited they become after seeing this different side of me!I will be at the classroom from 12:30 until 1:30; I will post pictures after the appearance!

Veterans Day and the past month

I cannot believe another month has already flown by! That means only a few more until I am no longer Miss Fulton County--it is so weird that this year is flying by so fast! It seems like I was crowned not too long ago! Now we're already planning this coming year's pageant! I am very excited about the upcoming pageant--we're working really hard on it, especially with it being the 40th anniversary of the Miss Fulton County Scholarship Organization. It is going to be an incredible show, and I am working on my dances to see if the ideas I have are actually going to work! Just too many ideas floating around up there sometimes.

This past month has been really busy for me. I volunteer every Thursday with the SOAR program, and it is so much fun! Alice and I get to help the children with their spelling words and their reading. Last week we even got to help with math a little bit! They are great to work with and their teacher is amazing; you can see that he truly cares about them learning and understanding the material he gives them. We've also been busy at practice. We have almost half of our nationals routine done! So exciting! The team is doing so well this year and I cannot wait to put the rest of the routine together! Tonight is a big night for the team because it is Hoops Hysteria at Elmira College. Hoops Hysteria is equivalent to a pep rally to kick off the start of the basketball season. The men's and women's basketball teams do short scrimmages against each other, Dance-line performs, and all three cheerleading teams (JV, Game, and Competition) perform routines. This is the first time many students will see us perform together as a team this year, so it has to be a perfect performance.

Aside from the school activities that I have been doing, I also found a day to go home and to make an appearance. Yes, a day; actually, less than 24 hours. Last weekend the city of Gloversville had a Veterans Day Parade, so since our practice for saturday was cancelled, I was able to drive home to attend. It was chilly, of course, but it was a great parade. A lot of people came out to watch it. I also rode with this year's contestants for Miss Fulton County. There are 8 young women competing for the title, and I was able to have some time with all of them. There are 6 veterans and 2 new contestants. It was great to see everyone that I knew again, but it was also nice to meet the new contestants that I did not know as well. Each one is a great candidate for Miss Fulton County, and I cannot wait to see the outcome of the pageant this year!

After the parade, I stopped into my old dance studio to say hi to my dance teacher, Sue Dygon, whom I have known for many years since she started teaching me when I was around 3 years old! It was great to catch up with her for a little while. During my visit, she told me that in a couple hours a dance instructor from Saratoga was coming to teach a traditional ballet course and that I should come back to take the class. I, of course, did since I miss taking dance classes all of the time. That dance instructor whipped me right into shape! I had not taken a formal dance class in 4 years, since I had graduated and gone to Elmira College. I did not realize how much I truly missed taking classes until I attended this class. It was great! We worked on technique A LOT, which I definitely needed. It was a lot of barre work and then we did across the floor work, but it was amazing. I hope that I am able to take the class again when I am home during breaks!

After the class, I was only home for a couple more hours since I had to drive back to Elmira that night. My team hosted the Elmira Fall Cheer Classic the next day, and I had to be there at 8:30am, so I did not feel like waking up super early to drive back. I hosted the cheer competition as Miss Fulton County, which was a lot of fun. A lot of younger girls attend this cheer competition, so they loved seeing me in my crown and were asking me many questions on how I became a "princess." It was very cute, and I loved it. The team also did an exhibition of our Hoops Hysteria routine, and my standing tuck was solid, which I was incredibly happy about. The only thing that was wrong with my parts of the performance was that my double did not make it all of the way around, which did not feel good. Hopefully that will not happen tonight! I like pretty doubles, not ones that do not make it!

Enough cheer-talk. I just wanted to say thank you to all of our Veterans for the service they have done for our country. Also, thank you to those that are currently serving. You do so much for our country. It is because of these people that we have the freedoms that we do. They have done so much for us. Please take the time to reach out and thank the Veterans, and those currently serving, for their work. To those currently serving, please come home safe!

Unfortunately, we had to cancel the Mr. Fulton County pageant due to lack of participation. We did not have enough contestants to make holding a pageant worthwhile. We loved the idea of this pageant, so hopefully it will be able to happen next year. We just need the participants for it actually to work.

I am not sure when my next appearance is. Maybe we will be able to have one while I am home for Thanksgiving Break in two weeks. I have to continue to study and to write papers right now. As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me =)

Update =)

It has been quite a while since my last update, but I can guarantee you that I have remained busy. It is midterm week here at Elmira College. Thankfully, I only have one midterm in Foundations of Education! The test should be fairly easy since it is a 1000 level course (that I need to graduate, of course), and I already have 100% on a section that was worth 30% of the midterm grade. I am not too worried.

I have been incredibly busy in classes, though my lowest grade thus far is an A- in Animal Behavior. I am hoping to finish out the term and to bring my overall GPA to a 3.8. I am hoping that this will help me with medical school applications, which are due really, really soon!

Apart from a never-ending pile of schoolwork and labs, I have also had practices for cheerleading. I know that this is not going to make sense to many people, but I have a consistent standing tuck and star-toe-tuck now! I have also been working my roundoff handspring layout, I just need to go higher. Our team is hitting skills that we have only dreamed about for the past four years. I am so happy to be on such a talented team that has the opportunity to be beyond successful this year! I was also voted captain by my teammates! We have four captains this year, which may seem excessive, but it works for us. We all compliment each other very well and have strengths where others have weaknesses.

Through cheerleading, I have been participating in the Elmira College SOAR program. The SOAR program is a program through which student athletes volunteer their time to go into and area elementary school and provide their assistance with primarily reading to one classroom. Two members from each sports team volunteer to participate in this program. I along with a freshman, Alice, have volunteered for cheerleading. Those two members are then assigned a classroom that they are to help with for the year. We are assigned to a fourth grade classroom, which we got to meet today. We are there from 12:30-1:30 every Thursday and we are able to assist them with ELA (English Language Arts) mostly, but hopefully with some science too! The children were very excited when I told them that I was a biology major and that I get to take a lot of science classes. They were also had a lot of questions about what college is like, how much work we have, how we got into cheerleading, and what teams we cheer for. It was great to see their interest in higher education and every student raised their hand when they were asked if they were planning on attending college when they were older. Some even had their college choices all set! Though I did not hear any for Elmira College...Their teacher was actually a graduate of Elmira College and played hockey here. A lot of the teachers at this elementary school have some connection to Elmira College, which was nice to see. We were able to help them with ELA today where they were reading a play. I was surprised by the types of words they were expected to know at that grade level. I have to admit that fourth grade is in the distant past for me, but I do not remember having to know what "indignantly" meant. The class was so enthusiastic about reading and learning in general. They greatly impressed me with how well they read and how well they could define difficult words. I cannot wait to return next week and to again help them. I am also going to talk to their teacher to see if I can talk to them about being Miss Fulton County and about my platform because it is truly meant for their age group.

It is unfortunately time to study for my education midterm, so I will have to end this here. I promise to update sooner than I did this past time!

Busy!

So I have survived the first full week of my senior year, and it looks like it is going to be a busy one! I am taking 17.5 credits this term with Foundations of Education (needed to graduate), First Year Italian, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Animal Behavior, Evolution (needed to graduate), and Beginning Private Guitar. The two classes marked are the only two classes I need to graduate to fulfill my Biology and General Education requirements. I have more than enough credits to graduate right now with almost 150 credit hours when you only need 120. Technically, I can graduate after this term, but then I would not be able to cheer, and I am definitely not giving up my senior year of cheering, especially when I could not compete last year due to a sprained neck. I will just be graduating with a lot of credits, I suppose. It's nice because a lot of my classes build off of each other, and are interrelated. They're also interesting, and I'm enjoying them more because they're what I've chosen, not what I've had to take. I've learned a few sentences in Italian already, and I've learned the notes on the first three strings of the guitar! I can play "Twinkle, Twinkle," haha! My Evolution class is probably my favorite because it brings up a lot of discussion. It's nice to get information about such a controversial topic, but when you actually break it down to to the biological definition of evolution, you can observe and measure it all of the time, making it a fact. It's when you go into relationships and a common ancestor that controversy starts to rise. All in all, I enjoy my classes and it should be a good term!

I am also working as one of the head dance instructors at Elmira Gymnastics Club. I worked for five hours on Thursday night teaching beginning ballet to the gymnasts both on team and off team. When I am not in classes or practice, I will be spending my time working at the gym, so teaching dance will keep me incredibly busy as well! It is nice because I can use their facilities to dance in, as well as to tumble in!

I am also going to be busy with practices for cheerleading. We are going to practice five days a week, Tuesday through Friday two hours a day, then a three hour tumbling practice on Saturdays. It is a lot with classes, homework, work, and practices, but I enjoy being busy, and hate having nothing to do. I am more efficient when I have a million things going on and can set strict deadlines for myself.

I am very excited for this term, but also for this year with cheerleading. After an amazing start with a full-paid bid to nationals, the team is ready to work incredibly hard to get what we want: another National Championship title! This is my last year to obtain the National title that I came to this school wishing for. I have been working harder than ever this year, especially on my standing tumbling. I have gotten tips and tricks from some amazing people, and have worked to get a consistant standing tuck. Although it is not consistant yet, I have been landing it more and more without a spot, so I am really happy about this. I went with a couple of my teammates to practice standing tumbling before open gym and tryouts. It definitely paid off because I even landed in line in front of Coach yesterday! I just keep thinking "Up, spot, bar, heels," which probably means nothing to any one else, but it helps me to land. I just have to stay confident with it.

So it is going to be a busy, crazy term, but I am more than ready for it.

Only 9 days until I find out my MCAT scores!



I just wanted to end this post by touching on the horrors that happened nine years ago today. I, like practically every other person that was old enough to remember that day, can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I was told about what had happened. I was in 7th grade in science class with one of my favorite teachers, Mr. Newvine. My friend, Kayla, was sitting next to me. It is incredible what you can remember with a flashbulb memory. I remember how confused I was, it did not make sense that a plane had hit the Twin Towers. I just kept thinking that my Uncle Anthony worked in New York City, and I had no idea where. Was he close to the Twin Towers? Was he okay? What about all of those people that worked there? Thankfully, my Uncle Anthony was not in the middle of the chaos, but there were so many people that were. Then to think of all of those heros, the firemen, the policemen, and everyone that stepped up that day who's lives were taken. It is a lot to think about, and we should never forget the events of this day nine years ago. I am writing this right before the ceremony that is happening at the flagpole here at Elmira College. However you choose to remember this, also remember to thank the troops that are currently fighting to defend our honor and our way of life overseas. I just want to say "stay safe" to those that are already over there, and those that are about to be deployed, especially to Colin Beswick, my suitemate's fiance, who is being deployed this Tuesday. Thank you for everything that you do, and come home safe!

Article

This article is kindof old, since it was written over a year ago, but the ideas can still be used today. It is how to improve your emotional health. A key factor that is described--volunteering! Yes, that is right! Volunteering provides you with an overall good feeling. It is a win-win situation--you help out those in needs while also increasing your own happiness! Read the other factors that can help to improve your emotional health as well.

click here!

Today's the Day!

So today is the day of the test that determines a great majority of my years to come. That's right--it's the day of the MCATs! I feel as if I am as prepared as I can be right now. I have studied my little heart out, especially this past week trying to brush up on important concepts and test taking techniques. I believe I am going to score well on it, with it being my first time taking the MCATs. I have taken a lot of practice tests and am confident that I understand how the test is set up. One of the workbooks my mom got me also described some of the "tricks" that can be seen on the MCATs and I feel as though I understand them. Now I just have to be confident in myself. I have to feel as though I know the information that is going to be on the MCAT. I studied up on my weak areas, so I am hoping that I have the information needed, especially after three years of classes.

It is just daunting to think that this test determines, in a large part, where I am going to get into medical school. I know the average scores of the incoming students at all of the medical schools I plan to apply to, and they seem reasonable. I just keep trying to tell myself that it is just a test, that I need to stay calm. I am also telling myself that if I do not obtain a score that I like this time, it IS okay. I can take the test again, many people do. If that means delaying my entry into medical school for a year, not exactly the path I would like, that it will still be okay. I do not really enjoy resorting to back up plans, but it will be okay if I have to.

Well it is time to leave to go take the test! Please send your good thoughts!

Time to Catch Up!

It has been a very busy past couple of weeks for me! I've been making appearances, traveling, cheering, and vacationing all in these past few weeks since I last updated! Oh, and of course studying for the MCATs--eek!

Let's back up to a couple weeks ago, July 29th to be exact. It was a a busy day of appearances for me! I went to the Office of the Aging picnic. I had never attended this before and was not sure of what to expect. I thought it was just a little picnic with maybe 50 people? No way! There were over 500 senior citizens from all over Fulton County in attendance! I was able to go around with Lexi to meet and visit with almost every person in attendance. Had I known there were so many of them, I would have brought more than the 70 tear sheets that I did! I gave out and autographed all 70 tear sheets, which was awesome! The seniors in attendance were so incredibly nice and I had a great time meeting them. The event was very well put together and we had a blast! Then right after, I went to my chruch, St. Joseph's, to make an appearance at the annual festival. It was the first of three nights of the festival and there was a great turnout! I was able to visit with a lot of younger children, who were thrilled to touch my crown and to get an autograph. One girl was even happy because she is going to have the same teacher that I had in third grade this coming fall; it was incredibly cute!

The next day it was off to Elmira for cheerleading camp! One little problem--my car broke down in Schoharie on the way. That was definitely not a fun time...apparently brake routers never break? Well mine did, and the one on the other side was about to. My brake line broke at the same time so I definitely had a mini freak out session in the car. If you know me, you know that I hate to be late, and I knew that I was going to be late for the start of camp. After hours of waiting for my car to be fixed, it was finally ready and I was able to make my way to camp about two hours late. At least I was able to get there safely.

It was a long five days of precamp, getting ready for NCA camp in Boston. We got our Game Day Cheer and Rally Routine all ready so we would be prepared for what they threw at us at camp. We were able to meet 8 of the incoming freshmen that were invited to camp with us. Thankfully, they worked really well with the existing members of our team and we had a great week, regardless of the two-a-days. Then it was off to Boston for NCA camp! We had a fun time and got to see the staff that we've come to love in the past couple years. We all worked incredibly hard to show them that we were there to learn. We attended classes on chants, motions, dance, baskets, pyramids, and stunts. Although some of the stuff we learned was challenging, we worked together to learn the material they were giving us. All-in-all our hard work paid off! We won the Game Day Cheer out of everyone attending camp, placed third in our division for the Rally Routine, were voted Most Collegiate by the NCA staff, and won a Gold (Full-Paid) Bid to NCA Nationals!!! This is the first time in Elmira College Cheerleading history that a team has left camp with a full-paid bid! We were also the TOP TEAM at camp with a score of 283, with the second place team having 151 points. It was an amazing 3 days and we were definitely excited for everything we received!

Me in front of a Vanderbilt sign!

Then it was back to Elmira for the night, before leaving at 5am to catch a plane to Nashville, TN!! I was really excited because not only was I visiting friends in TN, but I was also visiting my number one choice for med schools--Vanderbilt University! The five days that I spent in Tennessee were the best days I feel I have ever had. It was a nice break away from everything and it was definitely needed. It also solidified that the plans that I have set for myself are what I actually want out of life. I loved the school, it is defintiely where I want to be. Now I just need the MCAT scores to get in.

Me at the waterfall during a hike!

Me and Joseph in Centenial Park next to Vanderbilt's campus!

Which brings me to what I will be doing for the next week: studying for the MCATs. All day, every day. I take the MCATs August 20th--so wish me luck! I'm going to need it...

Today was the Miss Fulton County Golf Tournament! We had a great turn out, and it was a great day. The weather was perfect for golfing, and everyone had a good time. I would like to say thank you to Danielle Trumbull, the first runner-up of Miss Fulton County 2010 and a good friend of mine, for volunteering her time at the golf tournament today. All contestants were asked to make it if they could, especially my court, and she was the only one that gave up her saturday morning. THANK YOU DANIELLE!

Well time to get back to studying...not fun.

Mr. Fulton County!

So I had my first planning meeting today for Mr. Fulton County 2010! I am very excited about this because it will be a really fun fundraiser for the Miss Fulton County Scholarship Organization!

Colleen and I came up with this idea when we were all excited after Miss New York. We decided that we wanted to hold a fun fundraiser, and we thought that a Mr. Fulton County would be a great way to do that. It is not a "serious" pageant in any way, nor is it a preliminary for Mr. New York. It is just a fun time for the guys of Fulton County to show what they've got in front of their family and friends. It will be mostly scored on confidence and style. The audience will also be able to vote for their favorite contestant during intermission, which will be factored into the score. All of the information that we have so far on the pageant can be found at the facebook event that was created for it: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/event.php?eid=100662193324570

Sorry this is so short, but I just wanted to announce how excited I am for this!! I cannot wait until I have more details to give to you!