Crossroads Park Elementary

Greetings! Today I went to Crossroads Park Elementary School in West Des Moines for a presentation about my platform “Making Smiles Happen: Children’s Dental Health Advocacy”. I visited my former second grade teacher, Mrs. Dyer, and my brother’s former second grade teacher, Mrs. Brockberg. It was great to be able to see my teacher from 12 years ago!

Both classes were very attentive and were eager to learn how to better take care of their teeth. After a brief introduction, I gave the kids a little quiz to see how much they already knew about oral hygiene and safety. Here is an example of the type of questions I asked:
What are dental sealants?
A) A plastic coating on your teeth that protects against cavities.
B) Paints that make your teeth whiter.
C) Animals that entertain you in the dentist’s office.
D) People who help the dentist.

So, how’d you do? A is the correct answer. I asked about twenty questions and the kids probably got 2/3 of them correct. Good for a pre-test, but they would have done much better at the end of my presentation.


It's hard to tell, but I'm holding floss and discussing various ways to take care of teeth.

After the mini-quiz, we talked about different ways they could protect their teeth. In particular, we talked about the necessity of wearing a mouth guard while riding bikes, skateboarding, and sledding. I also had them each take a vow (while raising their right hand) that they wouldn’t get their tongue or lips pierced. Mouth piercing are probably the easiest way to cause self-inflicting damage to teeth.


A picture of the kids during my presentation.

Next, I asked for a volunteer who helped me in a plaque-revealing activity. My volunteer, Jerry in one class and Mackenzie in the other, chewed a tablet that turned teeth pink where there was excess plaque. I demonstrated the proper way to brush and floss teeth with a novelty toothbrush and set of teeth. Then, the volunteer brushed and flossed until the pink went away. This activity is great because it shows how careful you really need to be in order to properly take care of your teeth.


Getting ready for the plaque-revealing activity.


Demonstrating proper brushing technique.


I finished up the presentation showing photographs of unhealthy, damaged, and healthy teeth in order to motivate the students to take proper care of their oral health. The kids had tons of questions and comments (I heard lots of stories of siblings who have braces!) and seemed to have a wonderful time during the entire presentation. In fact, it took me ten minutes to leave because I kept getting sneak-attack hugs from students who would ask me not to leave! So cute!


They didn't want me to leave!

Truly, visiting elementary schools in one of my favorite things to do as Miss Pearl City and is such a wonderful way to promote both my platform and the Miss America Organization. It was also a special treat to return to my home elementary school. I have several other elementary school visits scheduled before Miss Iowa and I am excited about each and every one!


With Mrs. Brockberg's class.


With Mrs. Dyer's class. Notice the cluster of girls around me?

I have a busy week and can’t wait to let you know about all of the appearances I have scheduled.

Relay for Life

Hi everyone! Like always, I've been keeping busy and am currently in the midst of preparing for finals in just a few short weeks. I will actually be missing finals week to meet with the Iowa national delegates in Washington, D.C. while lobbying with the Iowa and American Dental Associations. Unfortunately, this means that I need to make up all of my exams the week before everyone else takes their final exams. Thankfully all of my professors realize what an amazing opportunity this is and have been very flexible.

Last Friday I participated in Relay for Life at the University of Iowa. Relay for Life is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society and it is estimated that Relay for Life events have raised over 3 billion dollars to date! The event went from 7:00pm on Friday until 7:00am on Saturday. I joined my business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi’s, team and had a blast! As one person from each team is supposed to walk the track at all times during the event, I bit the bullet and ended up walking for almost eight of the twelve hours! The rest of the time I was able to relax with friends, play competitive Jenga, and attempt to hula-hoop. While we all certainly had fun, it was also very fulfilling to know that we were doing our part in the fight against cancer. Probably the most touching moment was the Luminaria ceremony. Everyone at the event decorated a white paper bag in honor of a loved one who had battled, was fighting, or had defeated cancer. That ceremony really brought home the fact that every single person has been affected by cancer in some way. I decorated a bag for my grandmother who conquered breast cancer. This was an amazing event and they happen all over the country. I highly encourage everyone to attend one whenever they have an opportunity. The sleep deprivation is well worth it.


The officially Relay for Life logo.


The Luminaria ceremony.


With my teammates Lindsey and Peyton in front of the Relay for Life sign.

Sunday was the Hospice Walk in Iowa City at the Willow Creek Park. It snowed that morning and the weather was awful, but dozens of people showed up anyway! Hospice is especially important to me as my grandfather died in a Des Moines hospice. While talking about death is never easy, Hospice faces reality in a way that makes a painful process easier for both the individuals and their families.


Other participants at the Hospice Walk.

On a lighter note, I went back to Muscatine today to visit Ashlie Burroughs and have my hair treated. She performed a chemical gloss and gave me a much-needed trim. I think my hair looks much healthier. Thanks again, Ashlie!

After my appointment, I headed over to Wilton to check out my photos with Shirk Photography. Ben Shirk is such a creative photographer and has won many national awards. He is constantly coming up with new and exciting ideas. I am very pleased with the photographs and I can’t wait to share some with you! Until then.

Concert at Orange Street Theatre

Hello! It has been a busy couple of weeks since I last posted an entry. Actually, for about a week and a half, I battled a nasty cold/flu. Both my mom and I had the same symptoms and we think we might have picked something up on our trip to Peru. Accordingly, I called our illness the “Revenge of the Incas”. I’m back up to 100% now, though, and celebrated my good health with a busy week of pageant activities.

Wednesday, April 6th I had my headshots for Miss Iowa taken with Ben Shirk of Shirk Photography in Wilton, IA. In addition to the traditional headshots, we also went into the construction site of his new studio where I posed on a ladder and against exposed brick using only construction lighting, all while in a cocktail dress. Ben is so creative with his photographs and I can’t wait to see how they turn out! Take a look at his website (you’ll see a few photos of me under the “model” heading): http://www.shirkphotography.com/mp_includes/body.asp. Before the photos, I had my hair done by Ashlie Burroughs of AnewU Salon. Ashlie and her business partner Heather actually just opened this salon last month and it looks amazing! It is very professional and modern and the two owners are magicians with hair. Check out the photos of their studio on their Facebook page.

On Saturday, April 9th, I performed a concert with Miss Muscatine, Jessica Pray, and classical guitarist Dana Starkell at the Orange Street Theatre in Muscatine. The event was a huge success! The atmosphere was really informal with an intimate and supportive audience. I performed six pieces on the harp, including my Miss Iowa talent selection, Debussy’s “Girl with the Flaxen Hair”, and the third movement of Hindemith’s Sonata for Harp. Jessica and Dana performed wonderfully and the audience seemed to really enjoy the show. Artists are brought to the Orange Street Theatre every month by Performing Arts Muscatine and I would highly suggest attending one of their shows in the future. I’ve included a couple of photographs from the events.


The advertisement for the concert.


Posing with my harp.


Explaining the harp to some interested audience members during intermission.


With my executive directors, Ashley and Kindra, and Miss Muscatine, Jessica.


My lovely Miss Pearl City Outstanding Teen sister, Jessica.

Sunday was the Spring Bridal Extravaganza, the annual bridal show hosted by the Miss Iowa Scholarship Pageant in Davenport. A great showing of guests were able to talk and meet with over 20 bridal vendors. I was able to talk to some of my Miss Iowa sisters at the event, including Miss Iowa 2010 Pauli Mayfield. I always get excited and impatient for Miss Iowa whenever I’m around the other contestants! The finals are two months and one day from today…not that I’m counting down the days.


With Miss Northeast Iowa, Emily, and Red Hot Brian Scott from the B100 radio station.

I’ve got another busy couple of weeks coming up, but I’ll do my best to post entries when I’m able. Until next time!