F E B . 25, 2022
munster high school crier
5
INF O C US
Pageant
Pandemonium
For Crier’s fourth installment of This is Munster, Madison Beetson, junior, discusses her journey preparing for the for Miss Teen Indiana pageant April 9 and 10 ATARAH ISRAEL editor-in-chief
W
hen Madison Beetson, junior, discovered that she would be competing in her first Miss Teen Indiana pageant April 9 and 10 as a representative for Munster, she immediately knew she had a long road of work ahead of her. Despite never competing in a pageant before, she was eager to participate in the rigorous selection process. “When most people hear the word pageant they think about beauty, being the skinniest you can be and having perfect teeth and skin,” Madison said. “It is so far from that. You have to put time into things, you have to get photos done and you have to interview with people. They try to find the best girl to represent Indiana in every aspect.” With only three months to prepare, her time has been monopolized by meetings with sponsors, photo shoots and volunteer work. Most important to Madison, however, has been the time she dedicates to advocating for rare diseases. Diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis in 2012, a rare, treatable liver disease, she hopes to spread awareness to the silent struggles those with rare diseases face. “It’s just frustrating because
Writing on the wall Guest column by
CHARLES IVERSON GOING INTO HIGH SCHOOL, I was very prejudiced against English class. Whether it was the essays we wrote or the incredibly boring books we read, I hated practically everything we did in my middle school language arts classes. I felt as if I had essentially learned nothing, except for some Greek and Latin roots that would only come in handy if I’m ever a contestant on Jeopardy, so of
nobody really knows about this disease,” Madison said. “So I understand the frustration of other parents that have to deal with this. Not just (with) finding treatments, but (getting) accommodations in school. A lot do, but some teachers just don’t think it’s a real thing. I want to advocate for other people who may not be able to say the things that I can say.” Though her entire campaign has incorporated advocacy for rare diseases, Madison has used February, rare disease month, especially as a time to spread awareness—this includes meeting with children with rare diseases. “I wanted to find something that I was very passionate about instead of just advocating for something that’s very common,” she said. “I’m hoping to spread awareness about something that I’ve struggled with and that I understand some of the worst sides of it.” After a particular period of struggle during quarantine in which she underwent chemotherapy, she hopes to use the platform given to her by pageantry to start fundraisers and an educational organization for children and families of children with rare diseases. “Over the past two years, my health declined and I was put in the hospital every other month,” Madison said. “We went through about six
PHOTO BY GIA CVITKOVICH
RUNNING FOR THE CROWN Being Munster’s representative for Miss Teen Indiana has required much more than posing for photos—Madison Beetson, junior, has been interviewed, has scheduled appearances throughout Munster and has written a biography.
of the medications before chemotherapy. I do want to start an organization that’s either educating other people about rare diseases, or start another fundraiser to go towards the National Organization of Rare Diseases.” Madison’s journey is far from over. Though she has not yet competed in the pageant, Madison says she has already fulfilled a much more profound goal already. “I think that people who have been doing (pageants) longer definitely have a step above me, just because they understand things, but I think it’s going to help me become a more confident person,” Madison said. “I’m going to help raise awareness about something that means a lot to me.”
course I wasn’t looking forward to high school English at all. Honors English 9 changed everything for me though. For the first time ever, I felt like I was actually gaining something from my English class. More importantly, I genuinely enjoyed that class. From analyzing films to reading really good books— even if some of them were old and impossible to understand without Spark Notes—there was so much to love. For the first time ever, I felt that I was being exposed to rich literature. These books were far different from the terribly dull books we’d read in middle school. Throughout the next few years, I continued to look forward to my English classes. In Honors English 10, I began to learn to analyze literature on a new level through in-depth class discussions led by Mr. Barnes. This skill was deepened and refined when I took AP Literature the subsequent year through the essays I had to write on a weekly basis. When Mrs. Barnes
“I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. It’s such a great learning experience.”
first told my AP Literature class that we would have to be writing weekly essays, I freaked out. Now I see that it was totally worth it for what I’ve gained from doing so. In fact, one of the things I enjoyed most about my English classes was the writing. I never particularly cared much for writing an academic paper, but when I’m allowed to let my imagination run wild, it’s hard to stop. When Mrs. Barnes assigned a short story writing project to my ninth grade class, I remember asking her if my group could go beyond the word limit because the constraint didn’t permit us to squeeze all of our ideas onto the pages. Taking Mr. Boruff’s creative writing class during my junior year was one of the best decisions I made in high school because my mind was truly free to tell almost any story it wanted to tell. This academic year, I haven’t had that same level of creative freedom in my writing; however, taking AP Composition has definitely improved
—Madison Beetson junior my writing style. My previous English teachers may have taught me how to form ideas, but Mr. Stepnoski has taught me how to convey them in a well-structured essay. As a whole, the English department has without a doubt played the largest role in helping me to discover my path in life, so I would like to send a huge thank you to Mrs. Barnes, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Boruff, and Mr. Stepnoski (and I don’t care if it makes me sound like a teacher’s pet). You all are the reason why I’m majoring in creative writing next year. If I would have said that last part to my eighth grade self, there is no way he’d believe me. If you are a student or faculty member and would like to be featured, in Crier’s special series
This is
please contact Atarah Israel (9003945@ student.munster.us) or Alison Lee (7003640@student.munster.us).
