Daddy Daughter Dance

     On Friday after visiting Mrs. Roberts' class, I attended the Daddy Daughter dance in my home town!  Jenna Osseck (Miss Northeast Counties), Jocelyn Weyer (Miss Northeast Counties OT), Samantha Caraway (Miss Pulaski Counties OT), and I spent the evening greeting guests, dancing with little girls, and signing autographs.  It was a great time!!

Jocelyn & I!!

     We began the evening by greeting all the guests as they came in.  The girls ranged from pre-school to 8th grade. After a while the incoming crowd slowed down, so we decided it was time to dance!!  We danced to songs ranging from the Macarena to Beyonce's "Single Ladies."  I love the Daddy Daughter Dance because there's always a dance floor full of girls and a ring around the dance floor full of non-dancing dads. But no worries!! There are always a few brave dads! :)

 

     Next, it was time to sign autographs!  Jenna, Jocelyn, Samantha, & I sat in a line at the back of the room.  The girls formed a line and filed through to each one of us.  It was very organized for a while, but as I'm sure you can imagine (with 800 girls!) it got a bit chaotic after a while!  Luckily, everyone who wanted an autograph was able to get one!

     We finished the night out by thanking Carol Cox for inviting us to the event & dancing some more!  This time we were kickin' it old school!  We danced to "I Will Survive" and even a little "Thriller."  Both of which were great dancing tunes. :)

     There were a little over 800 girls at this year's Daddy Daughter Dance!  Dancing and kids are 2 of my favorite things.  So when you put 800 dancing kids in front of me, I can't help but have a good time!  We had an AWESOME time!  Thank you Carol!

Thank you Carol!!

This is Mercedes.
She comes to our dance clinic, Tigerinas, every year!
She even showed me the leap she had been working on!

In the fall, I was a wife in my school's musical, "The King & I."
These two girls, Kaeley and Audrey were my children! <3

Mrs. Roberts' 1st Grade Class!

     Last Friday, I visited Mrs. Roberts' 1st grade class!  I spoke to the students about my platform and the Miss America Organization.  Then I taught them a short hip hop routine, much like I did with the students in Milan.

While I was there,
Shad was announced one of the 1st grade winners
of the 'Caught Being Good' weekly prizes.
Way to Go Shad!!

     Mrs. Roberts' class is an awesome group of dancers, so after our routine, I just had to see some of their sweet dance moves. :)  There were quite a few awesome break dancers, but my favorite steps were performed by a little tap dancer.  She showed of her 'train' and 'perididle', 2 wonderful tap steps. <3

Mrs. Roberts!!

     Mrs. Roberts was my 1st grade teacher, so I LOVE visiting her room.  She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met & has been my favorite teacher for the past 10 years.  She manages to keep order in her classroom, while having fun.  She's great with the children, takes her job seriously, and most importantly, loves all of her students!  I want to be an elementary school teacher when I get older, therefore she is one of my biggest role models.  I aspire to be like her!!  Thank you for having me Mrs. Roberts!!  You are the BEST!!

Make a funny face!!

With Love,
Morgan

Mister & Miss Leprechaun Contest

     On St. Patrick's Day, I had the pleasure of judging the Mister and Miss Leprechaun contest in my hometown!  Jocelyn Weyer (Miss Northeast Counties OT), Samantha Caraway (Miss Pulaski Counties OT), and Jenna Osseck (Miss Northeast Counties), and I chose a 1 boy and 1 girl winner in each of the seven age divisions ranging from 0 months to 7 years.

     Each of the contestants put on their best St. Patty's Day attire for the event.  When their age division was called, they stood in front us, smiled, waved, and some even blew us kisses! :)  Taking their wardrobe and personality into consideration, Jocelyn, Samantha, Jenna, and I conversed to choose the winner.  The winner was then announced and crowned on the spot.  After we got through all 7 categories, it was time to choose the boy and girl that would be crowned the overall winners.

     After the contest was over, we were able to walk with all the Mister and Miss Leprechaun contestants in a parade.  It was a bit windy, but still a beautiful day!!

Mrs. Keck, my science teacher, & I pose for a picture while
we wait for the parade to start!! :)

     Gina Shorten organizes the Mister and Miss Leprechaun contest every year.  I have known Gina for a while, as her daughter and I dance together.  She's an awesome woman and she does a great job with the contest!!  Thank you for having me, Gina!  I'm always up for meeting festive kids! :)

With Love,
Morgan

No, Thank YOU!!

     A couple weeks ago, I spent a day in Milan, Missouri dancing with their elementary aged students.  Tim Cason, the elementary school music teacher, stopped by my house a couple days ago, to give me this...

   This is by far the biggest card I have ever gotten!!  All the students signed the inside of the card.  I LOVE it!!  Thank you guys sooo much! I had a blast with you all! Now, I just need to find a place to display my new, very LARGE & BEAUTIFUL thank you card! :)

With Love,

Morgan

Another Gateway Day!

     Last Friday, Jillian, Amanda, and I visited three of our awesome Gateway sponsors and the Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital.  We started off the day at the Service Metal Products Co.  We presented them with a plaque and a thank-you for their sponsorship.

Thank you Service Metal Products Co.!!

This was a beautiful picture of St. Louis!!

     I was most excited about our next stop, Cardinal Glennon!!  Here we were greeted by Ashlee, a Cardinal Glennon employee, and she took us up to the playroom.  Then we sat up our crafts!  We had St. Patrick's Day door hangers and "I love you, Mom" stained glass picture frames.  It took a while for any kids to show up, so Jillian, Amanda, and I made a door hanger and picture frame, just to test them out. :-)

Thanks Ashlee!!

     Unfortunately, it was still flu season so many kids were feeling down and didn't want to come play.  Also, many children were not allowed to come out of their rooms.  Luckily, Josie was!  She was the cutest one year old in a Tigger robe I've ever seen!  That's for sure!  Josie didn't feel like doing crafts, so we played instead.  We played with telephones, musical intruments, and a ridable fire truck that played a catchy tune.  After a while, it was time for Josie to leave.  The girls and I waited for a bit and decided to head out as well.  Thank you Cardinal Glennon!!

     Next, we visited St. Louis Skin Solutions, where Jillian found the perfect spot for our plaque among some other awards!

Thank you St. Louis Skin Solutions!!

     We finished out the Gateway day with a trip to Steak N' Shake.  After presenting our plaque, we sat down to eat.  We also had some fun with our delicious shakes!  Yummy!





Thank you Steak N' Shake!!

     Thank you to ALL of our sponsors!!  This would not be possible without you! :-)

With Love,
Morgan

Everybody Dance Now!!

     On Thursday, I had an AMAZING day!!  I had the opportunity to speak to over 500 students at the Milan Elementary School.  At 8:15 a.m., I started out the day with a group of about 150 5th and 6th graders.  The 4th graders were next; then 3rd graders and so on.  There were six classes in all.  At about 3:00 p.m., I ended the day on a high note with a group of kindergarteners.

     Tim Cason is the elementary music teacher in Milan.  He is starting a dance unit with his students that will feature dances such as the Cha Cha Slide.  Earlier this year, Mr. Cason asked me to come speak to his classes as an introduction to this dance unit.  He then worked with some of the other teachers and administration in the Milan school district to organize my visit.  Thanks to him, the other elementary teachers also brought their students and we were able to have the festivities in the gym.

Mr. Cason & me! Thank you!!

Mr. Forrester, the Milan High School principal, & me! Thanks!!

     When the students came in, they sat down and I told them a little bit about myself and the Miss America Organization.  Then I explained my platform, "Building Confidence in All Children through Dance."  I told the students that dancing is a great way to stay fit.  It's good exercise and FUN!  I also learned about some of the other ways students get exercise.

One little boy told me he could walk on water; just like Jesus. :)
Love kids!!

     Finally, it was time to dance!!  I began by teaching the students a hip hop dance.  It was great, because the kids could really relate to the hip hop.  After doing the dance a couple times, it was time to pick out our 'super awesome dancers!'  My mom and the teachers chose kids from the crowd that were trying hard and doing a great job.  The chosen kids got to come onstage, introduce themselves, and do the dance with me!!

One of my favorite moves- 'wash the dishes!'

Congrats to our very first SUPER AWESOME dancer of the day!!



Even a group of high schoolers made it on stage as "Super Awesome Dancers" when their PE class joined the fun!



     Next, the kids posed for a picture while I changed into a dance costume.  I performed my tap solo that I will be doing for my talent at Miss Missouri!  In a few of the classes I even performed my talent from last year, "Ease on Down the Road."  The kids stood right in front of the stage so they could see my feet making sound. :)

     It was then time to 'Cha Cha Slide' and 'Cupid's Shuffle.'  I love these dances, because they tell you what to do!  You don't even have to remember the steps!! ;)

*Can you go down low? All the way to the floor?*

     In some of the classes, there was time to show off some favorite dance moves.  We formed a BIG circle and put on the music.  When someone had a favorite dance move to share, they raised their hand and performed their move in the center of the circle.  Then, everyone else tried out the move for themselves!

There were quite a few break dancers!!

     When each class was almost over, the students were allowed to freestyle on their own while I passed out my signature cards.

The third grade class was so awesome, we couldn't possibly pick super awesome dancers.
So, I danced with them on the gym floor so everyone could be a super awesome dancer!!

     If the students do their dance exercise for at least 15 minutes, 3 days a week, they can e-mail me and I will send them a signed certificate back to their school.  They should be proud of their efforts and it can remind them to continue  their dance exercise!!  Remember to e-mail me, guys!!

This little girl, Brittney, was AMAZING!!
She not only got out her wheel chair,
but was selected as a super awesome dancer and came on stage as well!!
Living proof that ANYONE can dance!! :D

I LOVE hugs!

He did an awesome Michael Jackson impression!

**Where's your face??  Here are all the class pictures, as I promised. :)

What an awesome day at Milan Elementary!  You guys were great, and I loved, loved, loved your enthusiatic dance moves!  Even the teachers got out on the floor to "bust a move!"  It was loads of fun!  Thank you.



With Love,

Morgan