This week, Miss Rhode Island's Outstanding Teen 2009 Emily Luther appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show and performed her wildly popular cover of Adele's "Someone Like You" with Charlie Puth.

Congratulations to Emily and Charlie!

One person we like very much is Kasey Staniszewki, Miss Maryland's Outstanding TEen 2007 and stylist for La Casa Hermosa. Kasey was kind enough to give us a style tip!

I don't know if you've heard, but so far 9 former Outstanding Teens have been crowned as Misses and will be vying for the title of Miss America in 2012. The titleholders in thsese states are double crown winners: Idaho, Nebraska, North Dakota, Georgia, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, Texas and Kentucky. I cannot imagine how exciting it is for these young women, and for MAOT, to be succesful in the next level of competition. I have hoped that we would see more and more OTs becoming Misses and now that a "generation" has passed, we are seeing it happen!

Do you suppose that competing at the OT level prepared these young ladies for the state level, or are the two competitions so different that it wouldn't make a difference? What are your thoughts?

Miss America's Outstanding Teen Organization is pleased to announce a new sponsor who will be awarding a $500 Non- Finalist Interview Award. This award is made possible through the generosity of Valerie Hayes of The Pageant Coach(TM) and radio host of Pageant Talk Radio. MAOTeen thanks Valerie for her continued support of our program and our contestants.

"I'm very excited to be sponsoring the Non-Finalist Interview Award for the Miss America's Outstanding Teen program" said Hayes. "The young women who compete in MAOTeen are the best and the brightest of their generation and it's my honor to promote academic achievement, leadership in community service, and public speaking skills through this award."

Valerie will also be hosting some of our team on Pageant Talk Radio on Friday, March 11 at 3 p.m. CST. Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2011 Lacey Russ, Jennifer McKenna, Princess Camp Coordinator, and Tawni Darby, a new team member that will be introducing our new Teens In Training Camp program will be joining Valerie for a full hour to talk about MAOTeen and the exciting changes that are taking places in our program.

"The MAOTeen program is a clear leader in encouraging positive achievement in our nation's youth," said Hayes, "I'm thrilled to be partnering with them in recognizing the extraordinary achievements of these young women."

Have You Ever Been A Victim of Bullying?

By Myrhanda Jones

With today's technological advances, my generation has the power to save a life yet putting that power in the wrong hands can harm someone. Today's teenagers are hiding behind a screen that gives them the invincibility to bully one another without  being caught or named.

Recently, I was chosen by Cox Communications here in Florida to represent teenagers at a summit called "Take Charge." It was held in Washington, D.C. and was hosted by John Walsh of America's Most Wanted. Teens from all over the U.S. attended and we spoke about Internet safety, sexting, and texting issues that our generation is experiencing. John Walsh and I went to Capitol Hill where we spoke with Rep. Cliff Stearns. I gave him information about the lack of safety that teens seem to have on Facebook and Myspace.

Here are some tips on how to help and prevent bullying:

1. If you are being harassed via text message, ask the person to stop texting you. Then, tell your parents what is happening.

2. If the harassment persists, call the police.

3. Do not return any phone calls or texts from the person harassing you.

Remember that although it is not a crime (yet) to text about your peers or write about them on the Internet, it can be very damaging.

For more information, visit my Web site at www.huhgsforhearts.com.