Winding Down...

So, this is it! It's hard for me to believe that my high school career is officially over. My last day of class was Friday, and I'll be graduating in five days! My Senior year has been a challenge-- there's no denying that-- but it's been so much fun. Balancing Beta, school, family and friends has taught me so much and I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world.

Forgive me, it has been quite some time since I've updated; I assure you that I've had my hands full! Preparations for graduation, college paperwork, never ending scholarship applications and finals...oh, those finals!...While I am a little bit sad to see my high school days come to an end, I've certainly enjoyed the chance to catch up on sleep!! haha

I was so impressed with our Missouri Convention this year. I was very busy juggling competitions and meetings, but my favorite part of the convention was watching the candidates and talking to and meeting new people. I was blown away by the talent, arts and crafts, scrapbooks and banners. I'm amazed at what Betas can dream up and create! I was so proud of every one's hard work. Another pride point I'd like to share: We had 15 officers make the trek to Branson for our Convention (18 if you count Collin, Jonathan and I). I spent some time talking to some folks from the National office, and they said that 15 was a new record for a state convention! I was very proud; it just goes to show that I'm not the only one who thinks that our convention rocks! I'm excited for the newly elected officers, Ben, Brandon and Zach, but I was also sad to be stepping down from my state office; I've grown and learned so much and it's been more fun than I ever could have dreamed. I managed not to cry in Branson, I'm not sure if I'll be able to say the same of Orlando come June!

With school winding down, if you're like me, you're starting to get in the swing of summer! If you haven't already-- look into making the National Convention in Orlando a part of your summer plans... It's going to be a blast-- I can't wait!

Beta Booth Trip Gone Wrong!!

So, on Thursday evening, my father and I are in the car, driving to the Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, Missouri for a Social Studies teacher's conference. No, neither of us teach social studies-- we, along with Mr. Doyel (our state sponsor), were going to work a Beta Informational booth Friday and Saturday in an effort to reach new schools and start more Beta Clubs!

I was pretty excited about it; I love talking about Beta and I'm always eager to help grow Missouri Beta. The convention went well, we had a TV set up playing DVDs of past conventions, a laptop set up with our new website, http://www.mobeta.org/, and plenty of promotional materials like pencils, fliers and booklets. Things were going well, a lot of the teachers seemed interested and our booth was busy in between their sessions. It was freezing outside, and the weather man was calling for a bit of snow the next day.

Just like the man said, Saturday morning around eight, snow started falling. It started of really light, and it was actually really pretty! Things were slowing down, so we decided to pack up a little bit early and start the drive home an hour ahead of schedule. At 10:30, dad and I pack up the car, say goodbye to Mr. Doyel, and we're on our way.

At 10:45, we're on the side of the road; you see, while we were loading our vehicle, the snow picked up considerably! About two miles from the Lodge, my dad rounds a corner and is coming down a hill when we see traffic stopped about 100 feet in front of us. Dad hits the brakes, but the ABS locks up immediately, and we can see what's coming. We slide 70 feet, hit the vehicle in front of us, and slide into a low brick wall near the entrance to a condominium at the exact same speed we were at the top of the hill, about 35 mph. (I can't imagine hitting another car at 60!)

I was on the phone with my mom when it happened, ironically enough, and she thought for a minute that dad and I were playing an elaborate trick on her. We explained the situation, and dad and I started in making the appropriate phone calls to the police and AAA.

I've gotta give my dad some props, though; he might've hit a car and run into a brick wall, but he pulled off some fancy driving to get it done. He had three options: 1) T-bone the Honda in the turning lane, 2) Go right, miss the car in front of us, but go off the road and down a hill about 200 feet into the woods, or 3) Hit the car and the wall. It all happened pretty fast, but he managed to pull it off and at least we didn't flip our vehicle or hit someone in the driver's side.

I also want to let you all know what kind of state sponsor you have; Mr. Doyel was two cars in front of us, and he pulled over and stayed with us until everything was sorted out. He then drove us to a hotel where we stayed the night, since all the roads in and out of town were closed. Thank you Mr. Doyel!

Lake Ozark and Osage Beach ended up getting about eight or nine inches of snow last night; I watched it pile up while I sat in my hotel room, catching up on some Spanish IV. My uncle came and picked us up this morning; it was like Christmas came early-- I was going home! haha So, that said, be sure that you drive safe and buckle up. Don't speed, especially in bad weather!

Convention is literally just around the corner! I hope everyone is getting ready and getting excited! I can't wait!

Samantha Green

A-Town Bound...then Tupelo or Bust!

Hey folks! It's been a crazy, crazy week! I've just been to back-to-back Beta Conventions and lived to tell about it! I had a great time, though; I wouldn't miss my best friend's conventions for the world.

Friday morning after my College Chemistry class, my Aunt 'Nette and I made the trek to Atlanta for the Georgia Senior Beta Convention! We kinda forgot about the time change, and we also got to experience Atlanta rush hour traffic, but I'm happy to say that we made it just in time for the first session! I had a blast and it was so great getting to see all the officers, Mama Anderson and the rest of the Beta crew.

Michael Houck, Peter Liddle and Abby Adams put on a wonderful convention; all of their keynotes were amazing! Peter placed first in group talent, Abby persevered even though she was stricken with mono, and Michael, well, he's just Michael, and that's more than enough! (That's Peter, Abby and Michael in the picture above!)

The campaigns and skit were hilarious, and the talent was amazing! Georgia Betas are exceptionally talented, let me tell you!

Congrats to Natalie Sharp, Grace Lee and Uzma Chowdhury, the newly elected incoming officers! They have big shoes to fill, but I'm sure they'll do a wonderful job-- Georgia always has great officers.

I was very sad to leave, but my Beta duties for the weekend didn't stop there! On Sunday, my aunt and I loaded up and drove from Atlanta to Tupelo for the Mississippi Convention!

We got to catch up on our sleep on Sunday night before the convention started on Monday morning. And wow-- Mississippi impressed me! Not only were there a ton of Betas in the BancorpSouth Arena, but they were talented Betas at that.

I've never seen so many talent entries in my life; I was so glad I had the chance to watch all the talent preliminaries-- I was amazed. Trent Wilkerson, the state's VP, did an amazing job; not only was his keynote awesome, but he also participated in special talent, and his trio made it to the finals! Mallory and Chris, the other two National officers were there, and we had a blast hanging out, catching up and meeting so many new people.

All three of us got to stay with Trent's club, St. Martin; they were so much fun! I also got to see a BLC buddy of mine-- Sid Williams. I haven't seen him since July and it was great to meet up with him again!

After the third session Tuesday night, my aunt and I hit the road to head back to Malden. We got in around 1:30 Wednesday morning, just enough time for me to take a nap before getting ready for school! (haha)

I'll be at school Wednesday and Thursday, but Friday I'm off to another Beta Event-- more on that later!

Take care!
Samantha Green

Welcome Cole County Junior Beta!

On Friday, February 6th, my mom, little brother and I drove north to Russleville, Missouri for a Junior Beta Rally at the Cole County Middle School! They're starting a brand new Junior Beta Club!

Mr. Jerry Hobbs, our State Council Chair, is the superintendent of the Cole County school district and invited me to speak to their Middle School about my experience with Beta. I talked about my experiences at convention in competitions, running for office and making a lot of friends. I highlighted some of the service projects my club at Malden has done this year. Mr. Doyel, our Senior State Sponsor, was there as well, and he talked about the history of Missouri Beta and our core values of character, achievement and leadership. Mr. Hobbs passed out information about their upcoming meeting and general information about the National Junior Beta Club. After, we had a time for the students to ask questions; that was the most fun part for me! I loved getting to interact one-on-one with all of those potential Betas!

The Junior Beta Rally was a complete success; I'm so glad that I had the chance to come! Thank you to Mr. Hobbs and the Cole County Betas-to-Be for having me! Good luck to the new Betas and their sponsors!

Home from Hot Springs!

Hey Betas! I'm happy to report that I've made it home from the Arkansas Beta Convention! Let me tell you, Arkansas has a lot to be proud of! For starters, practically every school made the trek to Hot Springs, even through the ice and snow! Plus, the arts, talent and campaigns were all superb-- I was so glad I didn't have to judge!

Six officers visited from out of state, and the three Arkansas Officers put on a wonderful convention for us. Zack Lynch, Hunter Cabe and Karissa Musser have worked so hard all year, and it certainly showed.

Chris Bowman, the Tennessee and National Secretary spoke at the first session; his speech was hilarious and had a great message. I always look forward to hearing him speak! Donnie Thurman, a past National Officer and BLC counselor, was the guest speaker on Saturday morning. It was great to see him, and, as always, he did a terrific job!

I got to speak at Hunter's session Saturday night. Over the past six or seven months, Hunter Cabe and I have become very close; he's one of my best friends, and I was so honored to speak at his session! He made it hard on me though; His keynote was amazing! Titled "Heaven on Earth," he took Hot Springs to church!! He did a spectacular job; it was a hard act to follow!

I'd like to congratulate the three newly elected incoming officers Trey, Kenny and Sloane. Also, thank you Greenwood Beta Club! They provided me a room during the convention. You guys were so much fun and I appreciate the hospitality!

As many of you know, the ice storm that rolled though Missouri has closed a lot of schools and left a lot of us without power. While Malden is slowly getting electricity back, it will be a while before we'll be at school. I hope everyone is staying safe and staying warm! If you need to contact me, you can call or text my cell phone at 573.281.0285!

Baton Rouge or Bust

Wow! Louisiana Betas can dance!

This week, my dad and I made the trek to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for their Senior Beta Convention. We left around 6pm on Wednesday evening and literally drove straight through, and at 2:30 on Thursday morning, we checked into the Sheraton about a block from the Mississippi River! The next two days were complete chaos, but they were so much fun!

I managed to sneak in four or five hours of sleep before heading over to the River Center the next morning. When I got there, I was shocked at how big their convention was; I'm guessing there was somewhere around 5,000 people there! And there was plenty of activities to keep them busy; there were mini Leadership seminars, scavenger hunts, mega Twister games, pre-session dance instruction and more competitions than you could shake a stick at. Plus, their mixer was a blast! There was aways something going on.

Four officers visited from out of state, and it was so good to see the Louisiana officers strutting their stuff: Wesley Juneau, Mallory Richard and Maggie Joyner! All three National Officers attended this convention, Chris Bowman, Mallory and I, which was pretty cool!

With so much going on, all of us officers got the chance to help out a lot, which was fun. I helped out with a couple of different competitions, and I even got to be a judge! Mallory asked me to give her inspiration, so I got to speak at the second session.

Of course, I want to congratulate the newly elected incoming officers Lauren Lange, Anthony Corner and Jack Fletcher and all the other state winners!

I've got this week to catch up on school work and try to get some rest because on Friday, I'm leaving for Hot Springs-- Arkansas Beta Convention, here I come!

Samantha Green

Everything's Bigger in Texas!!

On January 9 and 10th, I travelled to Austin for the Texas Senior Beta Convention! My mom came with me, and I we had a great time! There were seven vi sting officers, plus Blake, Sam and Eric, the three Texas officers. Sometimes I forget just how much I miss these guys!

Austin is a pretty awesome city; During a few hours of free time, I had the chance to walk around and get a feel for the downtown area. It was my first time being in Texas, and I love it!

I spoke during the second session, right before Clayton King, the guest speaker, came on stage. He's one of my favorite speakers and he, like always, brought the house down. You can check out his website at http://www.claytonking.com/.

I must admit, I was impressed; Texas has talent! The competitions, talent and campaigns were amazing! It was a lot of fun to watch how other states go about their campaigning process. Plus, the skits were really cute! Congrats to Derek Meyer, Andrew Crosswhite, and Valerie Manning-- the new incoming state officers for Texas!

I hope everyone is gearing up for our convention in March! Can't wait to see you in Branson!

Samantha Green