FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 3, 2007

RE: Miss Illinois Kicks Off the Second Semester at St. Francis de Sales

FROM: Meganne Britton

Miss Illinois Kicks Off the Second Semester at St. Francis de Sales

Only two days before St. Francis de Sales High School hosts the high school entrance and scholarship exam, the Pioneers are welcoming Miss Illinois and the “Right Decisions Right Now” program. The program sponsored by the Governor's Alliance for Safe and Drug Free Schools will kick off the start of the second semester for the Pioneers. Miss Illinois, Heidi Ekstrom, will focus on decision making, dealing with peer pressure and value identification during her two, hour long presentations to students starting at 9 a.m. on Thursday January 11, 2007.

St. Francis de Sales is a college preparatory high school dedicated to providing students on the Southeast side a well-rounded education which prepares them mentally, physically, emotionally for life after high school. Because St. Francis students come from all different cultural, religious and economic backgrounds, the Pioneers will benefit from Ekstrom's message. President Rick Hussmann says, “We have high expectations for student behavior both in and out of the classroom, having Miss Illinois remind students about the importance of decision-making and embracing diversity will only help them build strong character.”

Ekstrom, who was crowned in July, is in the middle of her statewide school speaking tour which focuses on decision-making, character education and enhancing the life of children with disabilities. She will speak to over 20,000 students by the end of the school year. Ekstrom is a 23 year-old graduate of Columbia College in Chicago and earned over $8,000 in scholarship from the Miss Illinois Program this year alone.

Ekstrom will leave to compete for the title of Miss America in Las Vegas on January 19th. Miss America will be televised live on Country Music Television (CMT) on January 29, 2007.

The Miss America Organization is one of the nation's leading achievement programs and the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance. For more information, go to www.missamerica.org.

For more information about the Miss Illinois Scholarship Program and Miss Illinois 2006 visit www.missillinois.org.

For more information about St. Francis de Sales High School visit www.sfdshs.org or email Meganne Britton at mbritton@sfdshs.org

*Media or community organizations planning on attending the Miss Illinois visit should call Meganne Britton at 773-731-7272 ext. 239 for details.

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