The Lakeside School District welcomed Miss Arkansas 2016 Savannah Skidmore on Tuesday to visit with students at two of the campuses.
Skidmore has served as Miss Arkansas for about six weeks after Savvy Shields, who won the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Pageant in July, was crowned Miss America 2017 in September. Skidmore was the first runner-up and won the preliminary award for lifestyle and fitness in the swimsuit competition. She said her first two weeks were hectic, but she has felt fulfilled by her work.
"It's all very worth it," Skidmore said. "Every second I spend talking about my platform or making an appearance or making someone smile just because they get to meet Miss Arkansas makes my job the best job in the world."
Lakeside is only the third school to be visited by the new Miss Arkansas. Her schedule picked up this week with stops scheduled for multiple schools.
Skidmore is a senior broadcast journalism major at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where she was crowned Miss University of Arkansas 2016. She is a graduate of Calico Rock High School in north Arkansas.
Her platform was "Speak Up Now: Suicide Prevention and Awareness." She is the founder and president of Speak Up Hogs, a registered student organization meant to help U of A students see warning signs in their peers and speak up to prevent suicide.
Skidmore said she is deliberate with her platform and tailors her programs to be appropriate for different age groups. She talks more about suicide awareness and prevention in high schools.
All of her presentations inform students about how to recognize warning signs in others and how to help them seek professional help. Her presentation for middle-level students encourages students to speak up for others, specifically those who may not be able to speak for themselves, with a message akin to many anti-bullying programs.
"I try not to focus it on bullying, because I understand these kids hear speeches every day about not bullying and they get so tired of that," Skidmore said. "It eventually doesn't really set in with them whenever they hear about it because they hear about it so much.
"So I try to make it interactive and fun, get into really what bullying is and not necessarily just use the term 'bullying' and say, 'Stop bullying,' or, 'Don't bully." It's in the details what they need to understand about what someone is going through and they need to speak up for someone who is having a hard time."
Three sessions were provided for Lakeside Middle School students on Tuesday. She later spoke to younger students at Lakeside Primary School. She said her presentations to young students focus on being kind, accepting and helpful.
Her talent performances have often been vocals to "Finding Wonderland." She sang "Fight Song," by Rachel Platten, to open her presentation for sixth-grade students Tuesday.
Skidmore explained her platform is about speaking up and reaching out to help others. Jack Henry volunteered to take part in a demonstration about how students can help those in need.
Students were asked about their personal feelings, events or actions taken by others that can make them feel bad about themselves. They made suggestions such as loneliness, accusations, divorce, illness, relationship changes, exclusion and more.
One student mentioned the death of a pet, which Skidmore said no other student has said to her before. She said death can be a major factor. Her platform developed from losses she experienced in her own life.
Each student who made a suggestion used another piece of duct tape to secure Henry against a wall.
"Whenever you see them struggling with any of these things, I want you to reach out to them and I want you to speak up," Skidmore said.
Skidmore told students they should first speak up to the person they are concerned about to comfort them and be there for them. She said they can also speak up to others who may cause harm. The third step is to tell an adult.
"Some of these things may lead to a bigger problem than you feel you can handle," Skidmore said. "If you do feel like you can handle it, that's when you speak up to the person.
"If you feel like it is too much for you to handle and it's going to be a burden on you, that's when you speak up to a counselor, teacher, parent or someone who may be better equipped to handle the situation."
Students helped to encourage Henry to be able to pull away from the wall. Skidmore closed her presentation by answering questions.
One student asked about a tattoo she has of a semicolon. She said it represents Project Semicolon, a national movement dedicated to presenting hope and love to those who struggle with depression, self-injury, mental illness and suicide. Skidmore said the semicolon also represents her approach to life, as a semicolon is used when an author could have ended the sentence, but chooses to continue instead.
Local on 10/26/2016