Wednesday, July 7, 2010

“Pageant gives participants a chance to celebrate individuality” plus 2 more

“Pageant gives participants a chance to celebrate individuality” plus 2 more

Pageant gives participants a chance to celebrate individuality

Posted: 06 Jul 2010 10:54 PM PDT


By Erin DuBois
Associate Editor

In a world where beauty often means conformity to impossible standards, Ondrea Powell is spreading the message that it is okay for girls to be themselves, even if they are not perfect.    The 15-year-old Harleysville resident was recently chosen as a state finalist to compete in the National American Miss Pageant Aug. 15-16 in Harrisburg, Pa.

Powell's success has not come easily. Since seventh grade, bullying has been a big part of life at school, Powell said.                                                                                                                

Everyone at school looks the same, Powell said.                                                                             

Other students have long hair and tend to wear ripped jeans and sweatshirts. But Powell, who dreams of being a fashion designer, emulates New York City style by shopping at higher-end stores and sporting a short hairstyle modeled after Rianna's.                                                           

"She gets made fun of for wanting to be successful and go somewhere," Kim Powell, Ondrea's mother, said. "It really affected her school work along with her self-esteem."                           

Ondrea is considering homeschooling next year because of the overwhelming amount of criticism she has received, Kim said.                                                                                                 But Ondrea believes that even though there is negativity in life, you can separate yourself from it and move on to better things, Kim said. She wants to be in the pageant to show other kids that they can be different, Ondrea said.                                                                                                                                             

Ondrea received a letter in the mail inviting her to an informational meeting in King of Prussia for the pageant. Contestants have to be referred to receive an invitation, and the Powells are still not sure who referred her, Ondrea said.                                                                                                          

The invitation letter told Ondrea to come to the meeting dressed for success, but it did not tell her that she would be interviewed on the spot, Ondrea said.                                                                                

After filling out a resume and participating in the interview, Ondrea went home to wait for the pageant officials' phone call. Ondrea's father, Bill Powell, sent her a text message in history class letting her know that she had been chosen to compete in the state competition.

"I freaked out," Ondrea said. "I jumped up and down and told my friends."

Ondrea received a ribbon and certificate along with the chance to compete in Harrisburg. The top five competitors at the state competition are eligible to compete at the national competition in California, Ondrea said.                                                                                                              

The national competition can open doors to future job opportunities, since modeling and talent scouts attend, according to Kim.                                                                                                                 Prizes include a 2010 Ford Mustang convertible, but Ondrea said that she would rather win the college scholarship so she can pursue a career in one of her many interests, which include dance and singing as well as fashion design. She also plans to follow her father's advice to get a business degree.                                                                                                                                               

The pageant emphasizes inner as well as outer beauty and strives to maintain an age-appropriate competition. There is no swimsuit contest, and girls under 12 years old are not allowed to wear makeup, Kim said.                                                                                                                   

"This pageant is an all-American, girl-next-door kind of competition," Ondrea said in her sponsorship letter. "It is based on personality, poise and confidence."                                        

Thirty percent of competitors' scores is based on formal wear, 30 percent on personal introduction, 30 percent on an interview with a panel of judges, and 10 percent on community involvement, according to competition guidelines at www.namiss.com.  To earn the community involvement score, competition guidelines suggest that competitors donate a children's book or stuffed animal to assist libraries, literacy programs, firefighters and policemen in their work with children.                                                                                        

Ondrea wanted to do more, Kim said.

She began by collecting soda tabs at Souderton Area High School. The Ronald McDonald House uses the money from recycling the tabs to help the families of children with cancer.

Now she is collecting soda can tabs at her parents' offices and plans to approach local businesses about collecting them there as well, Kim said.                

Ondrea is making a "Team Ondrea" T-shirt to raise sponsorship money and will donate one-third of the proceeds to Ronald McDonald House.

"It's really taking off," Kim said. "It's almost not about the pageant anymore. This is something she wants to do besides."                                                                                                              

While she was shopping for the formal-wear portion of the competition, Ondrea began thinking about girls with cancer who are too ill to attend prom. Now she dreams of bringing the prom to them with the help of local dress shops. She hopes to locate a venue to decorate for the event and to find seniors who would escort the girls.                                                                                  

"It's turning her into a humanitarian," Kim said of the pageant.                                                           Ondrea said that her journey has been long, but she has received a lot of support from her parents and other adults.                                                                                                                              

Support came from a surprising source when Ondrea contacted the Ralph Lauren company as part of an assignment for school. She interviewed three employees, and one of the designers told her that he got picked on when he was in school.

"This was a very good inspiration because of what I've been through," Ondrea said. The employees sent her a group photo and encouraged her to contact them in the future about internship possibilities.

Ondrea looks to her parents as role models and calls herself a "daddy's girl."  Ondrea said that she respects her mother for raising her on her own until Kim met Bill when Ondrea was five. Bill adopted Ondrea in 2007, but Ondrea started using his last name long before that.                                                                                                                                 

"We bonded," Bill said. "She promised me she would never say that I'm not her dad." 

Supporting Ondrea in the pageant is a "no-brainer," Bill said, and he is proud of her ambition and good heart.                                                                                                                                     

"There is a lot of uniqueness to her," Bill said. "It's really neat to see her come into her own person."

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Interview: Kailin Gow, Author of Rise of the Fire Tamer

Posted: 06 Jul 2010 02:14 AM PDT

I am extremely thrilled to bring another interview, to readers, with the lovely and incredibly talented Kailin Gow!  Ms. Gow is the author of over 30 books, ranging in all generations and genres.  Her specialty, however, lies  within the tales she creates and weaves for the young adult and teen age groups.  Recent works include Bitter Frost and The Phantom Diaries.  Catch my reviews of both, by clicking the titles.   Kailin Gow's books have been recommended by PBS Kids, the PTA, homeschooling organizations, and on the Best Teens Books list. In addition, she is a mentor for young women, has founded 3A for Autism (Actors, Artists, and Authors for Autism), and runs a publishing and production company known as Sparklesoup, a mid-size publisher and production company.  In addition to Sparklesoup, you can also keep up with Kailin Gow on Facebook!  Please join me in getting to know a bit more about Ms. Gow and her newest release, Rise of the Fire Tamer: The Wordwick Games, Book One!

Please tell us a bit about your book: Rise of the Fire Tamer: The Wordwick Games Book One -- characters, plot, etc.

Rise of the Fire Tamer is the first book in "The Wordwick Games", an epic fantasy about five teens who wins the Wordwick Games contest to meet Henry Word, the inventor of the Games and to stay at Word Castle. Little do they know, this castle is a portal to other worlds. In the Wordwick Games, words are powerful and can be used as commodity, weapons, and communication.

This is a fast-paced adventure fantasy with lots of action, drama, and romance.

Here's a description of Rise of the Fire Tamer from Melissa of 'The Bookshelf' –

"As the players travel through the land making friends and enemies, they must find a way to follow all the rules and win the game [by] becoming the best player, and the crowned ruler of Anachronia.

The teens encounter strange creatures and intense road blocks. With a world filled with war, trolls, wizards and even dragons it's hard to be bored. When the gamers feel like something is up they come to realize that the game may not just be a game, they fear that the damage they take and the life they're living is real.

The ending to this story was fantastic, with twist and turns that leave you wondering about the truth. When reality finally hits the ending, it will leave you asking for more!

A must read for those who love adventure and fantasy, competition and suspense."

If you could meet, in person, any of your characters, who would it be and why?

Prince Kian from Bitter Frost because I first pictured him in dream, which inspired me to write Bitter Frost. He is a fairy prince with wings and so beautiful he is unearthly. I think he would be a sight to behold. Plus he can paint in 3D, use magic, and cook.

If you could fictionalize yourself and put yourself in any situation, how would it play out? Could you give us a scene/scenario of such an occurrence?

I'd like to leave all the drama to fiction, but if I can fictionalize myself, I would put myself in one of Sherlock Holmes' books where I can solve the mystery of the day as precisely and skillfully as Holmes. Like Holmes, I would always be able to keep my cool while in the most dangerous of situations. Holmes doesn't have superpowers nor is he immortal, but his intelligence and keen observations are what makes him extraordinary.

Do you have any particular habits that you do while writing? Places you write the best, foods, drinks, etc that help set your "writing mood"?

Yes, I listen to music, I drink coffee, and I write wherever I can. I once drafted two entire books while working on a laptop sitting in a car, while my husband drove from California to Las Vegas. I write in restaurants, I write on airplanes, and I write a lot in hotel rooms.

What are you reading right now?

I'm actually reading a lot of popular fiction right now and books from my fellow author colleagues and friends. The Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink, Lords of the Underworld by Gena Showalter, The Immortals by Alyson Noel, The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.

Who are some of your favorite authors and/or books?

I actually read a lot of plays. Shakespeare, Stoppard, and Tennessee Williams are among my favorites. My favorite authors are Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, Anne Rice, Stephen King, and Charles Dickens.

Favorite books are Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Shining, Interview with a Vampire, Great Expectations, and everything Shakespeare.

If you could meet any author, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I would love to meet Anne Rice because we share a lot of similarities -- we write about vampires and other immortal supernatural beings, she's from the South, and I've lived in the South for over a decade, and we both have faith,

I would love to meet Stephenie Meyer, too. Again, it's because we share so many similarities and background -- we write about vampires, we write for young adults and adults, we share the same belief system, and we're mothers.

Then there is C.S. Lewis, The Brothers Grimm, and so many others.

Okay, here are a few "get to know you better" questions:

Please share with us a favorite memory.

The first day my husband and I brought my newborn baby home from the hospital for the first time. It had been a difficult delivery, and I was hospitalized for days due to immense blood loss and complications. I had bags of transfusion blood pumped into me, and it still wasn't enough for me to get back to a safe level. I will take my experience of blood loss and the experience of regaining the blood I needed for life into my books for vampires, however.

Being able to bring my baby girl home for the first time was a tremendously emotional moment. I was bringing my newborn home, and the experience of being in the hospital was worth it.

Please describe a perfect meal -- including menu and those present.

The perfect meal for me is a traditional Christmas Dinner. Family, friends, and relatives would be present -- the entire house would be decorated for Christmas. Glowing twinkling lights, the smell of sweet cinnamon, roasting turkey and salty ham fills the air. The spirit of happiness, joy, and warmth would be present, seeping through every last corner of the house. The house is enveloped in amber, scarlet, and earthy green.

What are some of your favorite ways to relax?

Reading, of course! Then there are the absolute favorites…lying under the stars with my daughter, who is four, and pointing out the constellations with her, going to an ice cream shop and trying out all the flavors before picking a large double scoop, listening to music, and even taking a drive along the beach.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Just one place? I love England because of how beautiful the English language sounds, and it is the birthplace of Shakespeare, Austen, and Dickens.

If you could only read books by one author, who would it be? *I know, this is an inconceivable thought, lol

If I can only read from one author, I would pick Shakespeare because he writes about anything and everything in his plays. There are so many ways to interpret his plays, as well, and to play his characters. His plays are still relevant today as it was back when he was alive because he has such a strong grasp of storytelling.

Share with us a few of your dreams. Also whether they have been fulfilled or are still a work in progress.

I do dream a lot of what I would write -- Bitter Frost started off as a dream, then a vision. The Gifted Girls Series started off with characters I would dream about or envision first. Now I'm picturing a room full of beautiful beings with wings. This vision will be my next work in progress.

What are some of your guilty pleasures?

Oh, I have a lot of guilty pleasures. Here are a few: Southern fried comfort foods (Paula Deen-style), watching The Tudors, and indulging in Starbucks Caramel Macchiato way too much.

If you could leave the world with one piece of advice, what would it be?

We're all in this human experience together, so let's try to be kind, gracious, and compassionate to each other.

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Homeschool Buyers Co-op Offers Exclusive Membership To YourTeacher.com For Home School Math Students

Posted: 06 Jul 2010 06:13 AM PDT

Summer math programs for middle school and high school students helps continue development with pre-algebra, algebra 1 and 2 along with geometry.

Redwood City, CA (PRWEB) July 8, 2010 -- Homeschool Buyers Co-op, the leader in home school resources, is offering members exclusive access for free to YourTeacher.com to help with home school math. The partnership allows members of the Co-op to use summer math programs for middle school students as well as high school students. These also come with a virtual teacher inside every lesson helping students to learn and retain the information.

Benefits of Using YourTeacher.com:

* Video tutorials by an experienced math teacher
* Interactive practice exercises, with step-by-step audio explanations
* Math programs middle school students and high school students can use during the summer
* Comprehensive reporting for parents to monitor progress
* Audio, video, text, and Flash animations catering to students visual or auditory learning styles

"This partnership will help our members and their students retain information and excel in the next school year. These summer math programs for middle school students and high schoolers offer the ability to have a virtual teacher which is able to keep the learning fun and engaging," said Brett Walter, President of the Homeschool Buyers Co-op. "YourTeacher.com enhances your home school math curriculum and learning ability with the added services they offer. Right now, you can have a free membership to the site, just for being a member of our co-op."

About the Homeschool Buyers Co-op

The Homeschool Buyers Co-op is the nation's largest purchasing cooperative for homeschooling families. They help families receive the best pricing for their home school math and other curriculum and have many courses available. The Co-op combines the purchasing power of tens of thousands of homeschooling families around the country to give homeschoolers the same purchasing clout as school districts. They are able to help purchase home school curriculum and programs as well as other basic needs for children learning from home.

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Michael Gustman
561-620-9121
E-mail Information
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