Feliz Navidad!

Hey Betas! I just wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy start to 2009! Enjoy your time off from school, stay warm and sleep in!

Samantha Green

What's Better than 1,500 Junior High Kids?

On Friday, Decemeber 5th, 2008, 1,500 Junior Betas from around the state travelled to Poplar Bluff, Missouri for the Sixth Annual Missouri Junior Beta Convention.

It was a very, very busy day for me, so sadly, I didn't get to spend a lot of time talking and meeting people, but we all had a great time! It was great getting to see Mama Anderson, Mrs. Judy (Cummings, the Junior National Sponsor) and Mr. Stribling (Assistant Executive Director) again!

Collin, Jonathan and I were there to offer a helping hand. We had fun helping with door prizes, bingo and Living Literature. Let me tell you though, those Junior Betas were so energetic! I started the day wearing my favorite black heels, and by lunch, I was in the flats I had put in my purse just in case!

The picture I added is of the Malden Junior Beta Club after their group talent win; This year was my little brother's first year in Beta! Darren has been going to Beta practices and conventions with me ever since I joined, but I was really proud to watch him perform at his own convention.

Plus, my neighbor, Sara Wilson, the Missouri Junior Vice President got to preside over her convention this year. She did great! I was also impressed by all the talents and art displays-- I was really glad I didn't have to judge!

I also want to offer my congratulations to the newly elected officers: Ben Story, Michael Babusa, Harley Durall, Makayla LeGrand, Mia Jones. Also, congrats to all the art and academic winners!

Junior Beta's Convention just made me that much more excited for the Senior Convention in March! Any ideas or changes you want to see at convention this year? Shoot me an email!

Take care and stay warm!
Samantha Green

Welcome West Plains Senior Beta!

Missouri Beta just got bigger!

On December 2nd, I traveled to West Plains High School (Home of the Zizzers!) for a Beta Installation Ceremony. But this wasn't just any old installation ceremony, it was also the Inauguration of the West Plains Senior Beta Club Chapter! Mr. Doyel, the state sponsor, also came; he spoke about our history and all the awesome things that Missouri Betas are up to now! I also gave a short speech; I discussed the many opportunities afforded by Beta Club through conventions, academic and art competitions, leadership academies, Broyhill Leadership Conference, and running for office.

They inducted about 70 students that night! The West Plains Junior Beta Club served cake and punch, they were very nice and did a great job. I had a great time; I got to meet a lot of new Betas that I believe are really excited about convention already.

I know that many clubs are starting to gear up for convention! March is just around the corner!

Samantha Green

P.S: Don't be shy! Look me up on Facebook, or shoot me an email (sam@mobeta.org) or send me a text to 573.281.0285!

Indiana Beta Convention!

Hello Everybody! Last weekend I got to travel to my first state convention! My mom, Collin and I traveled to Indianapolis for the Indiana State Beta Convention. We had a great time and it was great getting to see friends that I haven't seen since BLC!


I gave a speech during the Second General Session on Saturday morning. Titled "All for One," I talked about how important it is to concentrate your efforts to one cause or one organization. When you do, you always have a greater impact and can make bigger changes!


I also talked about my involvement with the ONE Campaign, an organization that seeks to raise public awareness about global poverty, world hunger and disease. It's something I am very passionate about and devote a lot of time to. You can swing by http://www.one.org/ and sign the ONE Declaration to Make Poverty History. I promise, it will only take you a minute!


Collin also got to give Andrew Trimble's (the Indiana State Secretary) inspiration during the same session. I thought he did a really good job! He spoke about how important it is to be able to keep a sense of humor and just relax sometimes.


Congrats to Hannah Mieure, Robert Swaby and Audra Lannan, the new incoming Indiana Officers! It was really fun watching how another state conducts their campaigning process.


Aaron Woodard, Kritine Lagree and Andrew Trimble put together a great convention and I was very happy I could be there to watch them work. Because of scheduling conflicts and my ACT testing date, I won't be able to make it to the West Virginia or Kentucky conventions. :(
Next stop-- Texas Convention in January!


Happy Thanksgiving!!
Samantha Green

First Annual Missouri Beta Leadership Academy!

Missouri Beta has got a lot of things going on this year! We recently held the First Annual Missouri Beta Leadership Academy at Camp Allen. It was a lot of fun; Thomas Dismukes, one of my favorite speakers and BLC veteran came to run the show for us.

The theme for this year was Discovering Your Superpowers and how to use your unique strengths to become a more effective leader. We had a lot of fun and incorporated a lot of Broyhill activities into the two day event. All the Betas were divided up into Councils (the sponsors had a council of their own!) and each council had to come up with a Team Name, design a poster and a cheer. We all competed in a mini-Great experience and my council won! We were Council B-- The Beta Bees (We put the "Bee" in Beta!).

Mr. Doyel did an awesome job organizing the whole event! I think everyone had a great time; If you missed out on it this year, be sure to ask your sponsor for information about next year's academy!

Sammie Green

State Officer Workshop and BLC!

Every year at convention, I've always heard about the Broyhill Leadership Conference and how spectacular it is. Until I about two weeks ago, I still thought it was just a summer camp with really cool people. I cannot even begin to tell you how wrong I was!!

But before I tell you about BLC, let me back up a little.

Collin, Jonathan and I met up with two of the Illinois state officers, Libbie Miller and Kaylin Flamm at the St. Louis Airport. All five of us flew out to Charlotte, North Carolina for our State Officer's Orientation Workshop. Once we landed, we met up with all the other state officers (most of which we'd met at Nationals, but some people didn't run in Myrtle Beach); once we were all safely on the ground, we traveled to Belmont Abby College to start learning about the year ahead of us. Workshop lasted three days, we had meetings with Mama Anderson, Team Building with illusionist/speaker Dave Wilson and activities like Bowling and Mini Golf. We even got to tour the National Headquarters! We all had a great time and got to know each other a lot better.

On Wednesday, we all packed up our stuff and said goodbye to Belmont Abby. We boarded our bus for Queens University, where BLC was to be held. There, we met up with all the Junior Beta state officers, a handful of Senior officers from last year (including Kayla Cunningham, the outgoing Missouri President!) and a ton of other Betas from all over the country!

Upon our arrival, we met Joe Jones, Pia, Donnie Thurman, Jumpin John and the rest of the BLC crew. We were all split up into different councils (I was in Council G!) and had Council meetings twice every day. There were all sorts of activities, awesome speakers, and of course, the Great Experience, but my favorite part was getting to know so many incredible Betas from all over.

I could talk all day about all the awesome stuff we did, but instead, I'll tell you to go experience it for yourself! I'm serious, you won't regret it! I learned so much about myself and the people around me. But more than that, I made so many strong friendships! There might be a lot of space between us, but Facebook is a wonderful thing! :)

How's your summer going? Send me an email to sam@mobeta.org or text me at 573.281.0285!

Take care!

Samantha Green

Myrtle Beach!

I've just returned home from the 28th Annual National Beta Club Convention in Myrtle Beach the happiest girl in the world! If anyone ever doubted the strength and loyalty of Missouri Betas, the 541 students from 22 clubs that traveled halfway across the country put their doubts to rest.

You guys were amazing!! After talking to Betas from various clubs after state, I knew there were a lot of people planning on making the trek to South Carolina, but 541? I was blown away and so proud to stand up with all of you when our state flag marched in.

With your help, I was elected the National Beta President for the next year! Thank you all for wearing my shirts, cheering my skit and just walking up and saying hi while I was campaigning. It was a stressful few days, but so much fun at the same time! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

I've got to take a second to thank my club specifically. The Malden Betas really pulled out all the stops for me; they worked so hard practicing my skit and helping me campaign before sessions. They made this whole process easier for me and a lot more fun!

This was the first time I had the chance to meet the other incoming state officers; we might have been running against one another, but you never would've known it! We all got along so well and had fun spending time with each other. I can't wait till Broyhill so we can all see each other again!
[Above is a picture of the new National Officers (Chris Bowman, Mallory Richard and I), Mama Anderson (the National Sponsor) and Ken Cline (Executive Director). Here's a link to my speech and skit on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDExK6BaPTY]

I hope everyone that went had a great time in Myrtle Beach! Thanks again...so so much! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Samantha Green

Post-Convention!

Wow, it's my first Blog Post as the new Missouri Beta President! I'm so excited about the year ahead and I can't wait to get started!

First off, to all the Missouri Betas: THANK YOU!!! You all made my convention and campaigning experience so much fun! I got to meet so many new people! To all the other candidates, you all were really fun and I had so much fun at sessions with you all! Collin and Jonathan-- It looks like we're going to be seeing a lot of each other! I'm totally looking forward to working with you two!

Congrats to all the academic and art winners-- I hope to see you at Nationals! You betcha, I'll be in Myrtle Beach!

If anyone has any good ideas for next year's convention or changes you'd like to see in Beta, or if you just want to say hi, look me up on Facebook or shoot me an email at sam@mobeta.org!
I'm also a text-aholic, you can hit me up at 573-281-0285!

Myrtle Beach or Bust!
Type to you soon!

Samantha Green