Is National American Miss A Beauty Pageant?

I get a lot of phones each, some from people who are familiar with our program, others who are not. Over the next few days I am going to post some thoughts about the questions that I get asked the most.

Is National American Miss a Beauty Pageant?

Definitely not! You are scored 30% on your Personal Introduction, 30% on Formal Wear Poise and Appearance, 30% on Communications Skills in an Interview, and 10% on Participating in a Community Involvement Project on Pageant Weekend. 

The community service project is the easiest. Simply bring a stuffed animal or children’s book to pageant weekend and you will receive full credit for the community involvement competition. We will then take all of the books and bears and donate the items to charity. Through this competition we are introducing and reinforcing the concepts of community involvement and volunteer service which we hope will be taken from the pageant and into your community.

The personal introduction competition is where each contestant will stand on stage with a microphone and say their name, age, hometown and ambition. Our goal here is for each contestant to feel comfortable on stage delivering a speech. As well all know, public speaking, for most people, is their biggest fear and is one that gets easier the more you practice.

The interview is where each contestant will sit down with each judge and they will ask questions to get to know the contestant’s personality. They will not be asking questions that have a right or wrong answer, rather questions that allow each contestant to let her personality shine through. This is a great competition because it allows you to learn the valuable interviewing skills that will be invaluable in the future.

The formal wear portion is where each contestant is presented on stage in her formal dress. Here our desire is for each contestant to gain poise, self-confidence and shine on stage.  Then take that confidence into their homes, schools and communities.

All of these competitions will teach each contestant skills that you will use later in life!! Public speaking and job interviews will be much easier for you after competing in the National American Miss Pageant.

To see more and answers to other questions, see our FAQ page.  Click here to go there.

National American Miss Dylan Collins Sheduled To Appear For President Elect Obama’s Inagural Ball

dylan

Joining on the celebration surrounding the historic inauguration is Dylan Collins, the 2005 National American Miss New York Junior Pre-Teen queen. Dylan performed at the Democratic National Convention as she campaigned for her presidential pick, Barack Obama. And is now scheduled to perform at the Inaugural Ball.

It is exciting to see National American Miss girls of all ages involved in their community. Whether it is getting involved in the political process, recycling, or a host of other opportunities, these girls are making a difference! 

Check out Dylan’s MySpace page to see all of her accomplishments.

~Matt

Lacey Fitzgerald Countdown To The Crown for Miss America!

Miss Missouri Lacey Fitzgerald

The Miss America Pageant is just around the corner!  This year is a very special year for one of my National American Miss staff members and dear friend Lacey Fitzgerald, Miss Missouri.  Many of you have met Lacey over the years at the open calls, the workshops and the pageants.  Lacey’s platform is Big Brothers-Big Sisters, Mentoring Advocacy. She has spent the last year traveling to every corner of the Show Me State speaking to a variety of organizations and schools.  As Miss Missouri, she is also the official ambassador for the state’s Anti-smoking campaign for kids. 

Currently you can see Lacey on TLC’s “Miss America: Countdown To The Crown”.  The pageant will air live on TLC on January 24th at 8/7c.

Go Lacey, we are all so proud of you!

~Matt

National American Miss Competes For American Idol

This past summer American Idol made its whirlwind coast to coast tour, and as expected many National American Miss contestants were there to take their turn in front of the judges!

The 2007 National American Miss Kentucky Teen Olivia Henken form Kentucky made it one step shy making it to Hollywood.  Even thought she didn’t make it, we are all still so proud of her. 

Arianna Afsar, a State Finalist for California NAMiss in 2008 and our Teen talent winner will have a chance to be the next American Idol!  Here is a link to the article on the American Idol website: http://americanidol8.net/

Way to go Arianna, we will be watching!

~Matt

National American Miss South Carolina Hits The Big Screen!

Our 2007 National American Miss South Carolina Jr. Pre-Teen, Amelia DePass, makes it to the big screen.

Amelia is a very busy young lady.  She is has been involved in modeling and acting since age 5.  She has filmed three feature films, three commercials, and is featured in RAGGS on PBS.  She also does community theater.  She has taken horseback riding lessons for 4 years, took dance for two years, acting classes for 2 years, gymnastics for 3 years, was a cheerleader this year, has played church league basketball, completed Girls On The Run last semester and finished a 5K run in under 30 minutes.  Amelia is a great student, being on the Principal’s Honor Roll having all As.  She received the SC Governor’s Achievement Award last year for her community involvement.  She has been involved in school fundraisers like JUMP for a healthy heart and The Boosterthon Fun Run.  She aids the Junior Welfare League of Rock Hill by working in their thrift store as a cashier.  She helps out the Rock Hill Family Resource Center by babysitting small children while their parents attend educational classes.  She has helped with homework at the Children’s Attention Center and plays with those kids after school.  She has collected and donated household items and clothing to help families in natural disasters.  Amelia is an amazing young girl with a big, kind heart and an adventurous spirit. 

Way to go Amelia, we are all so proud of you

~Matt



2009 National American Miss Invitations In The Mail!

Greetings Everyone!

There is an ancient proverb that says, “may you live in interesting time.”  Wow, that has never been more true for me.  Between the hurricane and the move to Nashville, it has been quite a chore to get back up to speed.

I am exited to announce that I have printed all of the 2009 National American Miss Pageants invitations and will be putting them in the mail this week, so be watching your mailbox! 

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks,

Matt

Happy New Year From National American Miss

Happy New Year from all of us here at National American Miss. This year is going to be our best yet!  Check out these articles I found about our program.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_National_American_Miss

http://www.prleap.com/pr/86100/

http://www.dailytitan.com/1.754702

Happy New Year!

~Matt

Sarah Thornbury Featured in Kentuckiana Parent Magazine

Sarah Thornbury, a former National American Miss Kentucky Princess, was recently featured in the Kentuckiana Parent Magazine for her work with victims of Katrina and Rita. 

Sarah, seeing a need, took it upon herself to help bring joy to the kids affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  While most charities focused on clean up and repairs, Sarah began a drive to collect coloring books and crayons.  She proceeded to hand out fliers and make guest appearances to get her ideas heard.  Before she knew it she had collected over 200 coloring books and countless crayons. 

When asked, Sarah said, “I’m just a kid, and I want to help the kids. I wanted them to have toys and other things, so I thought of coloring books because my sister had just gotten a big box of crayons.” 

Sarah, at the age of 6, saw a need and set her sights on helping.  She set a goal and started taking the steps to achieve that goal.  Not only is she a role model for other kids, but for all of us as well.

Have a great new year!

~Matt



To Better Serve My Customers

Hello everyone!  It’s been a while since I have blogged.  I am excited to announce that I have relocated my National American Miss office to Nashville, Tennessee.  Our new office address is:  758 Wedgewood Park; Nashville, TN 37203. The new phone number is 615-349-1993.

It had been my desire to move the office in a year, but since hurricane Ike destroyed my office, it opened up opportunities to relocate now.  Candidly, this project has been a huge undertaking and will take sometime to get everything and running, so please be patient with me.

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Matt