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Rachel Callicutt, Miss Teen Fort Worth
May 11, 2010

Wow! I can't believe school is almost out! It feels like I was just walking into fish camp yesterday! I have had a pretty successful freshman year. I played on the freshman basketball team and managed to have the most team fouls:) and I was in the U.I.L. One Act Play. We performed Dearly Departed and rocked it! We had a very pleased audience after each performance that we gave. At the competition itself, we advanced to district and had a blast the whole way there!

As a title holder, I would have to say that appearances are my favorite part of the job! I have had several fun and enjoyable appearances and still more to come!

There are 5 elementary schools in my district and I am happy to say that I have visited all of them to either speak about my platform, and issue the school is having, or just to come see everyone for a visit! My platform is Respecting Others Living With Disabilities. When I go to schools to speak on the matter, I feel like a proud momma! I know the students in my district pretty well and I love the fact that when I talk to the kids I can see that they are really listening and absorbing my message to them.

On the 1st of May was the JHS Prom!! Being asked to prom was the LAST thing I expected!! It was a masquerade theme and was an absolute ball!!! (no pun intended) My wonderful sister/stylist did a fantastic job on my hair and makeup. Granted I love to experiment with hair and makeup, but I didn't exactly want to experiment on an event like this haha.

On the 7th and 8th my theater group and I took a road trip to Austin, Texas. We went to watch the performances of all the schools that advanced to state. I could not believe the performances we saw! There was soooo much time and effort put into these plays and it was VERY noticeable!! Congrats to all the competitors! It took a lot of work to get there!

On the 13th I will be visiting Caddo Grove Elementary school in Joshua for Career Day. Not very many people realize how much of a job it really is to be a title holder, which is why I will go and visit with all the kids about what I do. I think after their meeting with me they will look at being a "pageant queen" in a different light!

On the 23rd and 25th I will attend the Colonial Country Club Golf Tournament which I am super stoked about!! I have never been before and I am looking forward to having a great time! I will give you guys details about my experience after I make the appearance:)

On the 27th I will attend the Memorial Show in Dallas. This is another one of my favorite duties is visiting the Veteran's Hospital. Knowing that I can go and make someone's day better by just sitting and talking to them for the day and playing my fiddle for them makes me feel like an amazing person. In truth though, I am the one who is in awe when I get the chance to visit with men and women who have fought for our country. It amazes me how grateful people are just to receive time from one another. I am really looking forward to all the activities for this month!!

Moving into March! On the 15th I got to go spend a day behind the scenes at CASA. Talk about an adventure! For most of the morning I helped sort through a prop room. For anyone who loves theater like I do, you would know that going through a prop room is like being a 5 year old in a toy store!!! We found everything from war telephones, to brains sealed in jars, to "Texas Size Fly Swatters"! Afterwards, I went to the top of the theater into the sound and lights layer. I have never seen so many gels in my LIFE! I walked away with so many secrets to theater that I would LOVE to share with you!....But then they wouldn't be secrets;)

So as you all know, I am a HUGE theater freak! After my freshman year in high school I just keep getting sucked in more and more into the theater world! This year though, I have found myself being drawn more to the hair and make up department. I find myself looking at people thinking, "Wow, they have great bone structure! They would look great as such-and-such character with their hair like this, and their make up like that..." Well on the 23rd of March I had the opportunity to sit in on a Panache Magazine shoot!! I was behind the scenes watching as the model's hair and make up was perfect from one setting to the next. I learned how to tuck and twist hair into a master piece and all sorts of make up tricks! Now all I need is for someone to practice on...Any volunteers? haha!

Now April was a busy month! On the 9th through the 10th was the Spring Meeting for the Miss Texas Pageant. This is one of my favorite times of the year! I get to see all my beautiful pageant sisters all weekend:) This year the organization surprised us big time with a special treat... KARAOKE!! Yes, I realize that my talent is playing the fiddle and NOT singing, but its still fun to get up on stage and goof off with your friends!

On the 14th I had the opportunity to meet with the Mayor of Fort Worth, Mike Moncreif. What a nice and respectable man! I had a great time meeting with him at his office! We talked about my platform and all the things I do as Miss Teen Fort Worth. Before I left, he was even sure to give me the official longhorn pin worn by his staff in the office.

On the 24th I spent the morning at the Kids Fair in Fort Worth. I was busy from the moment I arrived doing all sorts of things such as starting the sack races, signing autographs for children, sitting in a race car and the PRESIDENTS LIMO!!!, and most importantly getting my face painted:). Oh, and I also went home with an unusual tan line. My sash managed to steal the sunlight from a strip of my back. I had a thick white line across my back for the next few days hahaha!

The 30th was my favorite appearance of the month. I volunteered at the Special Olympics in Arlington with my Miss Ashley. We were lucky enough to announce all the teams competing and visit with the athletes. There was some really hard work taking place at the competition this year. All the athletes look amazing and they were ready to have some fun that night at the victory dance!

On February 3rd I had the privilege to make an appearance for DIFFA. I had an absolute blast! I met so many new people, look at some super cute boutique items, and spend the evening with my friend Kaitlyn Wilson. I can't wait for the next DIFFA gathering!

On February 13th I spent the morning on campus at TCU with my Miss Ashley Melnick. We had the chance to participate in the TCU book reading. Children of all ages were welcomed to come and read with athletes of the school and bring a handful of books home with them. As you all know, a child's education is extremely important and I feel so honored to have been able to help make a difference!

In November and December I brought the Macy's 'Believe' Program into Johnson County, Keene, and Alvarado. For every letter written to Santa, Macy's agreed to donate one dollar to the Make A Wish Foundation. By the time I finished collecting, I had 973 letters! My original goal was to reach 1000 letters. Of coarse I was a little disappointed at first that i didn't reach 1000 even, but then I realized how generous my home town and local cities are. Together we donated $973! Now that's something to be proud of! Thank you to everyone who helped me! I couldn't have done it alone:)

Rachel

Ashley Melnick, Miss Fort Worth
March 10, 2010

The sun is shining and the air is warm—it’s a sign spring is quickly approaching… and so is Miss Texas!

This past month has been filled with a lot preparation for Miss Texas such as picking out my talent song and finding the perfect wardrobe. But aside from the competition aspect of Miss Texas, I found myself desiring the job of Miss Texas even more this past month.

On February 20, I was invited to appear at TCU’s Reading Frogs, which is a free event for children to come and read with TCU athletes on campus. This event was filled with hundreds of children, and let me tell you—when you wear a sparkly crown at an event with tons of children, you’re going to cause quite a commotion! Rachel and I had such a blast even though we were exhausted afterwards! Questions were flying, cameras were flashing, my hand even started loosing feeling from signing autographs, but I loved it and couldn’t get enough!

I feel it’s necessary to share my top questions asked by the kids:
1. Do you live in a castle?
2. Have you kissed a frog? (Since I’m a TCU Horned Frog... Go Frogs!)
3. Is your crown real?

I love the creativity and imagination of children and get a kick out of the funny questions they ask me. But also, meeting people brings me a lot of joy and enlightenment in life because I believe every person has a story to share and a lesson to teach. This could be my journalism background talking, but I always enjoyed meeting new people even at a young age since I moved so much! I can only imagine how fun it would be to be Miss Texas traveling across the state meeting thousands of people!

But for now, I am blessed to meet the wonderful people of Fort Worth and the surrounding communities.

Until next time!
Ashley Melnick
Miss Fort Worth

Ashley Melnick, Miss Fort Worth
February 11, 2010

I woke up this morning to a surprising text from TCU informing me I had no school because of icy conditions!

So as many students turned off their alarms and went back to bed, I got up at 6 a.m. and sat by my computer looking at my Miss Fort Worth crown sitting atop my shelf! It’s already mid February and I’ve experienced so many great memories and opportunities as Miss Fort Worth so far!

I would have to say my favorite appearances would have to be the ones that involved my platform; particularly at the 2009 Walk for Autism at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington as well as attending a social for My Possibilities, a day program for adults with disabilities in Plano.

The Walk for Autism was my first appearance as Miss Fort Worth. My adrenaline was racing in anticipation to make my first appearance and to speak on my platform, the Voice of Autism. When I arrived, I was treated like a celebrity and instantly bonded with all of the participants in the race who truly believe they can make a difference in the lives of those with Autism. Pictures were flashing and my autograph pages were rapidly dwindling, but what was the climax of the event was standing in front of an inspiring crowd talking about my brother Ryan, who has Autism.

I told the audience how I became to realize I could be my brother’s voice, and the voice of those who have Autism and disabilities. I’ve told that story before, but being in front of an intense, motivating crowd moved me in such a way that I almost had a hard time finishing my speech. I was there to motivate the crowd about fundraising and bringing awareness to the community about Autism, but in fact, they motivated me. They were so inspirational and supportive of my mission—it made me want to try harder and fight harder for my brother and for those with Autism and disabilities. It was a great event that I will always remember. It was a stepping-stone that took my passion for my platform to the next level.

On January 23, I was asked to appear at a social at My Possibilities. This adult program was putting on a mixer for all their students and was even open to the public to attend. Again, I was graciously welcomed once I arrived and met so many wholesome, loving students at this program. I told the students and faculty at the program I had more fun at their social than I did at my own prom! And that’s the truth! I boogied all night with the students and enjoyed getting to know them. And the workers at this program had such unconditional love for their students—selflessly giving their time and love to make a difference in these adults’ lives.

Ryan attends an adult program at home, and it gives him something to look forward to. What many don’t realize is the road stops for many with disabilities once they phase out of school at the age of 21 or 22. Adult programs give Ryan and many others the chance to continue learning and have productive adult lives…just like everyone else.

These appearances have been fun and inspiring, and I can’t wait to see what Miss Fort Worth has in store for me in the future.

So as the snow continues to fall and I’m stuck here in my apartment, maybe I should focus on another responsibility as a titleholder—staying in shape and exercising! The apartment gym is calling!

Until next time,

Ashley Melnick
Miss Fort Worth 2010