Miss Deaf Minnesota Blog

Check out the flyer!

2009-06-03T12:35:00.001-07:00

Please check it out:

Miss Deaf Minnesota, Katy A. Kelley's last newsletter.

2009-06-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Hello!!! WOW! it is my last newsletter as Miss Deaf Minnesota! yup, I will be giving a crown to a new young lady this June during the MADC conference! I cannot believe that my one and half year as a Miss Deaf Minnesota will be over! I hope I will see you all there in St. Cloud! Meanwhile, please look for my shiny crown and say hi! Please come to the pageant during the conference to support the new miss deaf MN! I will love to chat with you all for last time! After I relinquish my crown, I will be busy with my graduate study out west! I will be studying in Rehabilitation Counseling Education for Deaf. I am pretty excited about that experience! Since, it is my last newsletter, I would like to say my thanks and farewell to people who helped me through this experience!!!

Good bye summer...

2008-11-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

Hello fall and winter! One thing I hope for is a white thanksgiving with all of this global warming. I love snow! I hope you are all excited for Thanksgiving, please do take your time to think about what you are thankful for. I am thankful to have my family supporting me in my busy life. This is my last semester as an undergraduate student, I will be graduating from Metropolitan State University this December with a bachelors degree. I have been busy running around as Miss Deaf Minnesota, a college student and as a support specialist. My last appearance as Miss Deaf Minnesota was at the Twins baseball game to sign the national anthem with six young students from MSAD. We had the opportunity to be on the field so close to the players! ha ha We all had so much fun. It was a good experience showing our language in front of everybody. :) Before that, I went to the ASL Expo in September and that was a successful event! I met so many people and surely enjoyed my day. Recently, I visited Gallaudet University to see my friends and saw many state queens that I had met at the NAD Conference in New Orleans! I enjoyed catching up with them, we all missed each other since the summer. Look for me at Thompson Hall events. Wash your hands often so you don't get sick this fall and the important thing is to STAY warm! Have fun! Katy

What a lovely and festive fall!

2008-11-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

At last, fall is here! We are very eager to get ready for our Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageant at the MADC Conference in June 2009. We are working to recruit new ambassadors to represent our state as Miss Deaf Minnesota. If you are interested in being part of the pageant, please contact our Contestant Coordinator, Misty Schomberg at mschomberg@gmail.com.

I would like to personally thank Vicki Johnson, Julianna Kinney and Shana Morgan for their wonderful work on the booth during the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf homecoming to help fund raise for MDMP. Also congratulations to MSAD Girls' volleyball for winning the championship.

MDMP is working closely with MADC to get ready for the Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageant; we are looking forward to the event!

If you are interested in having our Miss Deaf Minnesota, Katy Kelley for appearances at events, please contact our Scheduling Agent, Toni Fairbanks at claytoni@tvutel.com. I would also like to congratulate Katy for graduating this December with a bachelors degree in human services.

Please keep an eye out for our events near you.

Andrew J. Oehrlein

State Director

Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageant

Back from New Orleans, Louisiana from NAD Conference

2008-11-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

Wow- what a journey to New Orleans, Louisiana. I have to admit that this was my first time attending a NAD Conference and I was very pleased working with over 25 State Pageant Directors and 22 wonderful contestants. I also worked closely with our Miss Deaf Minnesota Katy and her chaperone Sarah Houge; I am very proud of Katy. She put in effort during the Miss Deaf America Pageant- she did not place in the final six but she will always be our winner for Minnesota!

Emory Dively, Cythnia Weitzel, Galinda Goss-Kuehn and I enjoyed sightseeing in famous New Orleans and wished we had more time in the city. New Orleans is full of history and delicious food. We had a full schedule with meetings and discussions relating to NAD and the pageant. We learned much from each other.

What a journey! I encourage you to attend the 50th Biennial NAD Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in July 2010. MADC and MDMP have already expressed our interest in bidding for the 51st Biennial NAD Conference in 2012; the last time Minnesota hosted the conference was in 1899 and 1970. Let's bring our STRONG Deaf and Hard of hearing community together to welcome them to our state!

Andrew J. Oehrlein

State Director

Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageant

Miss Deaf America Pageant

2008-07-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

There are a total of 22 contestants participating in this year's MDA competition. Contestants are divided into three groups: Mu, Delta, and Alpha. The competitions determine which contestants will compete for three consecutive afternoons on stage in the following categories: Platform Presentation, Artistic Expression and Presence & Poise.

MU:
Miss Deaf Alabama, Robyn Parker
Miss Deaf Colorado, Kathy Ronci
Miss Deaf Maryland, Michelle Lapides
Miss Deaf Missouri, JoAnn Benfield
Miss Deaf North Carolina, Carole Edwards
Miss Deaf Oregon, Ashley Beghtel
Miss Deaf Wisconsin, Wendy Arendt

DELTA:
Miss Deaf Arkansas, Brittney Caldwell
Miss Deaf California, Amanda Folendorf
Miss Deaf District of Columbia, Shanna Grossinger
Miss Deaf Georgia, Meleah Miller
Miss Deaf Illinois, Sarah Miller
Miss Deaf Minnesota, Katy Kelley
Miss Deaf Nebraska, Kristina Lorenzo
Miss Deaf New York, Alexandria Pucciarelli

ALPHA:
Miss Deaf Florida, Kimberly Wright
Miss Deaf Iowa, Laura Stefl
Miss Deaf Kansas, Tanna Jo Kolb
Miss Deaf Michigan, Jillian Gruetzner
Miss Deaf New Jersey, Jessica Malone
Miss Deaf Texas, Katherine Murich
Miss Deaf Virginia, Christy Bowers

Six Semi-Finalists:
1. Miss Deaf New York, Alexandria Pucciarelli
2. Miss Deaf Missouri, JoAnn Benfield
3. Miss Deaf Nebraska, Kristina Lorenzo
4. Miss Deaf Maryland, Michelle Lapides
5. Miss Deaf Texas, Katherine Murich
6. Miss Deaf District of Columbia, Shanna Grossinger

Official Results:

Platform Presentation Winners:
Preliminary 1: Miss Deaf Texas, Katherine Murich
Preliminary 2: Miss Deaf Maryland, Michelle Lapides
Preliminary 3: Miss Deaf New York, Alexandria Pucciarelli

Artistic Expression Winners:
Preliminary 1: Miss Deaf Arkansas, Britteny Caldwell
Preliminary 2: Miss Deaf Michigian, Jillian Gruetzner
Preliminary 3: Miss Deaf Maryland, Michelle Lapides

Miss Congeniality Winner:
Miss Congeniality: Miss Deaf Wisconsin, Wendy Arendt

Second Runner-up: Miss Deaf Missouri, JoAnn Benfield

First Runner-up: Miss Deaf Texas, Katherine Murich

Miss Deaf America 2008-2010: Miss Deaf Maryland, Michelle Lapides

Greetings!!!

2008-04-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

My name is Katy Kelley and I am honored to accept the position as Miss Deaf Minnesota 2008-2009. I am really excited to be an ambassador for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children, students and adults in the state of Minnesota; I look forward to working with you all!

I am a Minnesota native and I do what Minnesotans do! I fish, I go boating and 4-wheeling; my big secret is that I am a # 1 fan of the Mall of America and love to shop there. I have wonderful parents Keith & Doreen and siblings Bryan & Sue, Tina & Benis and Kevin who are on my side and support me all the way. I also have 2 black lab dogs & 5 puppies that are a few weeks old! I love to interact and learn from people of different cultures and backgrounds.

I graduated from the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf (MSAD) in 2004 and am now a student at Metropolitan State University in the individualized B.A. program in Family Mediation & Community Development. I just completed a season coaching the MSAD cheerleading squad and we won the spirit stick for most spirited team at a tournament! I am also involved with the Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens (MADC) Youth committee.

This experience as Miss Deaf Minnesota will help me become more knowledgeable in my future goals and increase my work experience in a variety of environments. For example: I will gain skills to help children in different communities and countries and learn how to work with schools and youth organizations. I want to encourage youth from different groups and schools to work together and develop networking relationships.

This July, I will be going to the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Conference in New Orleans to participate in the Miss Deaf America Pageant (MDAP). This will be a wonderful and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, I look forward to meeting new people and attending the conference. I hope that I will learn so much from the other 27 Deaf Queens who will be attending, as well as the NAD conference. I will bring this knowledge and experience back to Minnesota and share with you all!

I would like to thank my chaperone Larisa Martin for her dedication when I participated in the Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageant last summer. Sarah Houge is my new chaperone and will be attending the MDAP retreat and NAD conference with me this summer. I want to thank Sarah for her enthusiasm, as well as Galinda K. Goss-Kuehn, my artistic expression coach, and everyone else who are helping me prepare for my trip to New Orleans! A big thanks to my wonderful friends and family for their support!

I am available to make appearances at your event, school or anything you would like. Please contact my scheduling agent, Toni Fairbanks at claytoni@tvutel.com. Hope to see you soon! We will also be having a Good Luck party before I leave for New Orleans on June 21, 2008 at Thompson Hall at 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Come and see me in action! ☺

Here's the information:

1) When is the event?
2) Where is the event?
3) What is the name of your event?
4) What is the purpose for your event?
5) What is the time frame?
6) What would you like Miss Deaf Minnesota to do?
7) The honorarium fee is $100/hour

Sincerely,

Katy Kelley
Miss Deaf Minnesota

Dear Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageants, DEAF-MADC

2008-04-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Being Miss Deaf Minnsota for the past year has been a wonderful experience for me- one that I would never ask to replace. It has been a unique and rich experience.

In the past few weeks, I had a personal and family situation come up. This situation has a long term impact and I do not feel I am able to continue tomanage the responsibilities of Miss Deaf Minnesota and attend to my responsibilities elsewhere. It was a very difficult decision that I took a long time to reach, but I need to resign as Miss Deaf Minnesota to focus on my personal situation.

Thank you for your support for the past year and thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

Sincerely,

Sabra Carlin
Miss Deaf Minnesota
Sabra Josephine Carlin

April is here! Wow! Time sure flies!!

2008-04-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

On March 29th, our Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageant (MDMP) Spaghetti Night was SUCCESSFUL! MDMP board members, committee, and volunteers started preparations at noon and worked hard all day! We had many donations- Sorenson Communications gave MDMP $600 dollars and several stores, restaurants, and hotels contributed a total of $500 dollars. We had a raffle drawing for people to receive prizes; they were very pleased to support MDMP. Many people loved our wonderful and delicious spaghetti secret sauce! I would like to thank the Board, committees, and volunteers: Toni Fairbanks, Assistant State Director and Schedule Agent, Galinda K. Goss-Kuehn, MADC Liaison, Shana K. Morgan, Treasurer, Julianne Kinney, Secretary, Sue Kovacs, Event Coordinator, Doug Bahl, Member at Large; Volunteers: Jessica Williams, Aaron Leaf, Brenna Reichle, Ryan Kinney, Vicki Johnson, Mary Soltis, Ric-Olin and Dianne Lyles, and Brenda Giese.

I would like to personally thank Sue Kovacs and Sara McKinney for being a part of MDMP. We will miss working with them. I would like to welcome two new members: Vicki Johnson, our new Fundraiser Manager and Board for MDMP, and Brenna Reichle, our new Corresponding Secretary for the MDMP Board.

MDMP has several positions to fill: Event Coordinator, Photographer, and Member at Large. If you are interested in being a part of the committee or volunteering, please email me at andrew@missdeafminnesota.org.

We are searching for sponsorship and/or donations to help defray the cost for the Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageant 2009. You can be a Gold Patron, Silver Patron or Bronze Patron for MDMP. All sponsorships and donations are tax deductible and MDMP will be happy to send you a tax-exemption form.

Keep an eye out for our next blog and events.

Andrew J. Oehrlein
State Director
Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageant

Greetings!

2008-03-09T14:49:00.001-07:00

I am very proud to make an announcement our new website: www.missdeafminnesota.org. Our Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageant’s on own website. We are still using www.minndeaf.org with MADC (Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens). You can check out our both websites.

We will be announcing every month with the events and information to let our Deaf Community to aware what’s happening. We are fund raising for NAD Conference 2008 at New Orleans, Louisiana on July 7-11, 2008.

Also, we have pageant on June 19, 2009 during MADC Conference in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. We are forwarding to see you to come and support for our future Queen to travel to NAD Conference to be winning as Miss Deaf America.

Check it out on our NEWS on the site. We will have Spaghetti Dinner on March 29th at Charles Thompson Memorial Hall, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., also door prizes will be drawn. Following the events will have the Performance of The Evening with Andrew J. Oehrlein at 7:30 pm. Fifteen percent of proceeds will be donated to Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageant.

Keep eye on our next events.

Sincerely yours,

Andrew J. Oehrlein
State Director
Miss Deaf Minnesota Pageant

Hanging Out in Minnesota by Sabra Carlin

2008-02-21T21:52:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! On December 15, I flew back home to Minnesota for my winter break from Gallaudet university. It was so great to be back home!

The day after I arrived, I went to Thompson Memorial Hall for the Christmas event hosted by Galinda K. Goss-Kuehn. She asked me to sign the song "Jingle Bells" and read a Christmas book to about thirty young children. I also helped the children play games and make crafts. With those games, there were no awards for best performance – the whole point was to let children have fun! They then became very excited because they got to meet Deaf Santa. The room was full of joy, and I enjoyed watching the children.

I spent my entire break in Minnesota. I attended several practice interviews to get ready for the intense week of pageant competition at the Miss Deaf America Pageant in New Orleans this July. I also spend time with my buddies and family, especially with my cherished younger sister who currently attends the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault.

During my last weekend in Minnesota, I attended the National Clerc Classic basketball tournament, which had eight schools participating. I went each day from Thursday to Saturday and watched many splendid games. On Saturday, I represented Minnesota with my crown and sash. I was surprised and touched at how many young girls wanted my autograph.

Before the boys’ championship game between Maryland and Indiana on Saturday evening of the tournament, I signed the National Anthem with all teams’ cheerleaders. This event was videotaped and shown on the Deaf Nation website. Several friends who were not at the tournament were able to participate by watching the video clips on www.deafnation.com. That long weekend was a perfect way for me to close my vacation and get ready for my second semester of college life.

I returned to Gallaudet University on January 21 and will be back to Minnesota after school end of year. This will be great time for me to visit different schools and events. I am available for appearances; or the first runner-up was Katy Kelley, who will assume Sabra's duties should Sabra be unable to attend an event or relinquish her crown for any reason. To schedule Miss Deaf Minnesota's appearance at your event, please contact Toni Fairbanks, scheduling agent, at claytoni@tvutel.com. Requests must be made three weeks in advance. When sending your request, please include the following:

1) When is the event?

2) Where is the event?

3) What is the name of your event?

4) What is the purpose for your event?

5) What is the time frame?

6) What would you like Miss Deaf Minnesota to do?

Miss Deaf Minnesota looks forward to working with you! Stay warm and have a great spring!