Oklahoma outlook, summer 2012

              OKLAHOMA OUTLOOK
Summer 2012
Former FFA
member is ...
You can read more about Betty on the Miss Oklahoma website: missoklahoma.org
... and almost
Miss Oklahoma Miss America
Betty Thompson grew up on a
small dairy farm near Davenport,
Oklahoma. (Her mom described
that farm as an Ag project that got
out of hand.) As an elementary stu-dent,
Betty and her siblings had to
get the cows milked and all their
other chores done before they went
to school every day. Betty believes
that instilled in her a sense of
responsibility and a strong work
ethic. As she puts it, “Do the work
first and I come second.”
Betty graduated Valedictorian
from Davenport High School in
2007. While in school, she was
active in FFA, 4-H, Student Council,
McTeggart Irish Dancers, and FCA.
Betty served as class president all
four years of high school as well as
Northeast District 4-H President
her senior year.
She became Miss Oklahoma in
2011. In January of 2012 Betty com-peted
in the Miss America pageant
where she won the Peoples’ Choice
Award and finished as first runner-up. When her term
as Miss Oklahoma is complete, she will return to
Oklahoma State University to complete her degree in
Elementary Education.
Looking back on her early days on the farm, Betty
says, “That responsibility carries over into so many
things. Just like the baby calves depended on me to get
their bottles on time, now my students depend on me to
be there every single day at school, to be there willing
and ready to teach and to engage them in their classes.
The hard work ethic carries over into everything in my
life.”
Betty’s emphasis in FFA was public speaking. When
she won Miss Oklahoma, one of the judges said, “You
seem so comfortable in front of the room talking to
people,” and I told them I’d been doing public speaking
since high school. That was
something that really paid off
for me because I am not
afraid to get up in front of a
crowd.”
Betty’s ag teacher, Robert
Carroll, pushed her to do
Parliamentary Procedure -
something she wasn’t
particularly interested in
doing. “But by the time I was
finished I was so happy I did
it. It was all about going to a
competition and not being an
individual competitor, learn-ing
to compete as a team
member. My public speaking
was alone, my dancing was
alone, all of those things I
was doing by myself. Mr.
Carroll pushed me on to a
team effort and I am very
grateful for that. Parli Pro
Photo by Robert Carroll
Photo by Leigh Thompson
Photo by Leigh Thompson
(Continued on page H)
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