Pageant Press: Tri-Valley students give Miss Ohio standing ovation

Tri-Valley students give Miss Ohio standing ovation - Roberta Camp talks to middle schoolers about her passions

DRESDEN -Miss Ohio 2007, Roberta Camp, is used to receiving standing ovations. But Thursday's standing ovation came from seventh- and eighth-graders at Tri-Valley Middle School.

For nearly an hour, she spoke to them about two things she's passionate about sharing: building character and the dangers of tobacco products. "Every school I visit, all of the students, they're so much fun," she said. "They know more than we think they know."

She shared her own personal experiences with tobacco, telling students the first time she was offered a cigarette was by a friend in the sixth grade.

"I flat out tell them that they will be confronted (to smoke) because I was in sixth grade," she said. By the time Camp was finished with her presentation, she'd left an impression on 13-year-old Rebecca McGinnis, who was impressed with Camp's presentation skills from start to finish.

"She's a public star and can relate to us, because we do have a lot of people who need to hear this," she said.

Principal Peg Wilcox said in the four years the new middle school has been open, not one student has been suspended for smoking. "She was a positive role model for a lot of the kids," said Nathan Winkelmes, 14.

Don Ripple, an eighth grade science teacher and a member of the school's academic team, helped arrange to have Camp visit. "I think because of who she is, it makes more of an impact," he said. "They've heard this from kindergarten on in health classes and such, but then to have a celebrity emphasizing it's not good to do, I think it sticks with them more."

Camp was accompanied by her grandparents, Evelyn and Loren Camp, who are residents of Zanesville. Roberta is from Grove City and is earning a bachelor's degree in communication from The Ohio State University.

"It feels great when I get a call from a school to speak," she said.

The photo above is from Roberta's Facebook account and the article can be found HERE.