Royalty gathered last week for the 2012 Duke of Edinburgh's Award presentation. Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler and the Duke of Edinburgh His Royal Highness The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex joined MAO Board Chairman Sam Haskell in Alabama to award those with upstanding community service, physical fitness, special skill, and adventurous journey.

The event was hosted by the Miss Alabama Scholarship Organization and coordinated by Executive State Director Nan Teninbaum. The organization hosted a tea for this year's award recipients. Among the pageant winners awarded were Bronze Award Recipients Miss Maine 2011 Julia Furtado, Miss Wyoming 2011 Catherine Brown, Miss North Carolina 2011 Hailey Best, Miss Florida 2011 Kristina Janolo, Miss West Virginia 2011 Spenser Wempe, and Miss Connecticut 2011 Morgan Amarone. The 2012 Bronze and Silver Award Recipient was Miss Alabama 2011 Courtney Porter. This year's Gold Award Recipients were Miss Ohio 2011 Ellen Bryan, and Miss South Carolina 2011 Bree Boyce.

Miss America 2012 also attended the Duke of Edinburgh-Royal Gala the evening of the awards ceremony. The gala is an organization fundraiser. Laura and other state title holders performed at the event and welcomed Miss America 2005 Deidre Downs Gunn.

Watch a video slideshow of the events on the fourpoints homepage!

Source: MAO Photo: The Birmingham News

Miss America Laura Kaeppeler is in New York today kicking off the 2012 Great American Cleanup. Laura will take the stage in Military Square with members of the Keep America Beautiful organization and other city officials. The group will recognize National Volunteer Week and encourage the entire city to focus on environmental cleanliness and sustainability through recycling and volunteering.

There are more than thirty thousand community improvement events throughout the United States made possible by millions of volunteers. Today's event will put these workers in the spotlight and celebration their dedication to keeping the earth clean and green.

Laura will sing the National Anthem tonight at Yankees Stadium. Tune in to your local station to see her and the game! It will air on YES Network and MLB Network.

Source: MAO

Rebecca King Dreman, Miss America 1974, tells fourpoints about seeing her daughter compete on the Miss America stage!

fourpoints: What was it like to be the first Miss America to see her daughter compete on the Miss America stage?
Rebecca King Dreman: When Diana won at the state level, I was excited for her. I knew this was history in the making. Then at Miss America, when she was on stage, I had so many emotions because I had been there competing. I knew what she was going through. Diana is a wonderful young woman and…she is a great Miss Colorado. I am so proud of her many and varied accomplishments.

fpts: How did you help Diana make the right decisions about competing? How much did you influence her choice?
RKD: As parents, we always mentored our children, helping them find their moral compass, helping them make good life choices. However, I didn't encourage her to be in pageants at a young age. The first time she competed was the first year of Miss America's Outstanding Teen. I told her at that point I would support her–with her guidance.

fpts: On stage, Diana mentioned that being there was so special for her. What do you think made it so special?
RKD: She knows and understands what being on that stage has meant for thousands of young women, so she couldn't help but be proud of her accomplishment–to be one of fifty-three special young women. Friday night, she wore one of my dresses, the gown I gave up my crown in. It was very touching for me. The entire experience had a lot of meaning for her, one that I lived to share with her.

fpts: How did you help her with her platform?
RKD: I'm a living example of the value of the American Cancer Society. Diana has lived with cancer, with me, as one of my care givers. She remembers the day we were told I would likely live for only a few more months. But she has done all of the work for her platform. She has done all of this is her own way, made her own contacts, promoted research and legislation, participated in fundraising events, and when she speaks to people, she can say, "The research of the American Cancer Society, the scientific progress, has helped my mother survive."

To read more about Miss America 1974 Rebecca King Dreman and her mother-daughter pageant experience, subscribe to fourpoints.

Spray tanning and its many facets is a wonderful way to give your skin a healthy glow while avoiding the harmful UV radiation in tanning beds. Kelly Richardson, president of Be Bronze, thinks so too, in fact, she sat down with fourpoints to give us (and you!) the scoop on spray tanning know-how.

How you look onstage is the end result of months of training and preparation for your pageant. Unfortunately, the harsh lights of the stage "wash out" everyone's skin tone, and highlight flaws, scars, and imperfections. Getting a spray tan as part of your pageant prep will not only even out your skin tone, but will also make your skin look tan and healthy when you are in the spotlight. An added bonus: getting a spray tan make you look as if you lost ten pounds, and most professional spray tanning products have caffeine, which temporarily constricts the skin, making it appear firmer.

If you are doing a local pageant, definitely get your spray tan a day or two before the pageant. Make sure you wax/shave beforehand and that you get your tan AFTER your manicure, pedicure, massage, or any other spa treatment that might possibly exfoliate the skin. State pageants are usually a week in length and usually the spray tan you get pre-pageant is not going to last the entire time. Most of the girls we work with get spray tanned the evening before swimsuit/physical fitness and then again before the final night.

Not even the best spray tanners can spray themselves at home. You will always need help with your back. There are many great at-home tanning systems made by professional companies that are lower in cost than a salon/pro system. Another option is an aerosol mist, which many contestants used this year at Miss America. Whether or not you are getting a professional tan, or getting one done at home, there is a lot you can do to ensure you get an even tan.

The first and most important thing is to make sure your skin is not wet. A lot of us jump in the shower before we get sprayed or apply a self-tanner. Having skin that is still moist can cause a spray tan or self-tanning lotion to run on our skin and will result in streaks.

Make sure you have exfoliated with a "water based" body polish or scrub.

Lastly, make sure that you shave or wax before your spray tan. Doing this afterward actually removed the layer of skin that has been tanned, and can create splotchiness.

To read more tips and tricks to spray tanning, subscribe to fourpoints!

More than 70 percent of students play a role in cyberbullying, whether they be the bully, the victim or a witness, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. For Miss West Central Ohio, Elissa McCracken, the number is too high, and she is using her platform to fight it.

Elissa was a victim of cyberbullying in middle school, an experience that shook her confidence and made her doubt her ability to compete in pageants. But now that she has overcome the terrors of cyberbullying, she is promoting her platform throughout her home state.

"I have devoted myself to the commitment that I would help others avoid the intimidation, humiliation, and embarrassment that I endured," Elissa said.

Elissa is traveling throughout Ohio to promote her platform and attend cyberbullying workshops. At a recent event, she addressed educators, mental health professionals, and law enforcement personnel. The event was called "Cyberbullying 101," and was sponsored by the Ohio Attorney General, Mike DeWine.

"Several attendees requested my contact information, and I am very excited about the possibilities such networking can provide me for spreading my important message to help other young people," Elissa said.

Elissa's platform, "Stop Cyberbullying," is being received by a wider audience thanks to her public service announcements. She recorded the announcements for the Attorney General's Office, and they will be broadcast, one on radio, and one on television, throughout the state.

Elissa is in her third year of pharmacy school at Ohio Northern University. She plans to continue spreading the message of anit-cyberbullying in the near future and for years to come.

"I plan on attending the conferences and workshops to which I was invited, participate in webinars devoted to continued education about safety online, and continue my diligent pursuit of spread the important message of my anit-cyberbullying platform message," Elissa said.

Source: Leslie Townsend

Tuesday is IHOP'S National Pancake Day! Visit any International House of Pancakes Tuesday from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. to get a free short stack and support the Children's Miracle Network.

Guests attending the pancake smorgasbord will be asked to provide a donation to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, the official platform of the Miss America Organization.

Pageant winners including Miss America Laura Kaeppeler will be in attendance to help serve and to promote the platform. Laura will visit a Hollywood, California IHOP tomorrow.

IHOP National Pancake Day has raised approximately $8 since its first year, 2006. Proceeds support local charities, including the Children's Miracle Network.

Sources: Dine Equity and MAO Photo D. Sharon Pruitt

Hailey Steele, the former Miss South Dakota's Outstanding Teen 2005, and her band mate Leland Grant appeared on NBC's The Voice, and will compete for the this season's grand prize–a recording contract.

The duo performed Monday night in front of judges Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. Hailey's band, The LiNE, got together in November 2008, and it hopes to make it in the country music world. Watch The Voice Mondays at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Source and Photo: MAOT

Miss America Laura Kaeppeler wowed football fans and the media on Sunday when she spent the day in Indianapolis, Indiana, for the Super Bowl. She took part in game-day events, and even took a seat for the big game. Laura participated in a sandwich judging contest that benefited Taste of the NFL, a charity that raises money for food banks across America. To donate, visit Kick Hunger Challenge online.

Laura brought attention to the Miss America Organization while being interviewed on "Radio Row" by reporters from NFL.com, Sirius/XM Radio and Yahoo! Sports.

Source and Photo: MAO

Miss America, Laura Kaeppeler appeared on ABC's Good Morning America this morning at 8 a.m. Eastern. In her second appearance on the show, she took part in the Taste of the NFL event preceding Super Bowl XLVI. The show was broadcast from the location of the Super Bowl, Indianapolis, Indiana. If you missed this morning's broadcast, check ABC.com to watch the full episode later this week.

Source: MAO

The Miss Alabama pageant may be most well known for giving us our first deaf Miss America, Heather Whitestone, but the pageant has both a rich history and an exciting future.

The Birmingham News started the pageant in 1921. In the early years, both Miss Birmingham and Miss Alabama competed for the national title of Miss America. Eventually, Miss Birmingham (along with Miss Mobile and Miss Montgomery) became local titles. Today, the pageant has a grand total of forty-seven locals–closed, open and university pageants.

It takes a lot of people and time to keep the Miss Alabama pageant going throughout the year, and especially during pageant week. Executive Director Nan Teninbaum credits many people behind-the-scenes for the success of the pageants.

"Our board of directors is most definitely a working board," says Nan. "Everyone has assignments. We couldn't do it without the parents of former Miss Alabama’s who pitch in and help."

Another group of people that help tremendously with the pageant are Miss Alabama alumni. Whether they are former Miss Alabama’s or local contestants, they are great resources for the Miss Alabama pageant.

"You have got to involve your alumni," says Nan. "Let them know that you need their help. A young lady who has been through the program will love to educate someone else on the values of her experience. I have found many times that the young lady who never wins gets the most out of the experience.

The pageant also has a large group of generous donors and sponsors that allow both the pageant and the titleholder to have the best year possible. It's clear that the Miss Alabama program is doing something right. With three Miss Americas to call their own, nearly fifty local pageants, and dozens of volunteers, it's easy to see that the organization is on the right track. According to Nan, their collective success comes from simple dedication.

"We get paid for our time in so many different ways," says Nan. "We wouldn't do what we do if we didn't truly believe in the program."

Read more about the Miss Alambama pageant in the December/January 2011-12 issue of fourpoints

Written by: Julie Anne Long. Photo: Danny Barrett of Pageant Works