Bring It On – The Musical

On Saturday, May 12th, 2012, I went to watch the Matinee performance of ‘Bring It On -The Musical’ at Ed Mirvish Theatre.

The musical was filled with great music, an energetic cast, and a storyline that pulled me right in! From the acting, to the singing and dancing, it was just amazing. Watching such a wonderful performance made me want to perform – that must say something!

Myself with some cast members from 'Bring It On - The Musical'

After the show I had the opportunity to meet some of the cast members including, Taylor Louderman, who starred as Campbell and Adrienne Warren who starred as Danielle.

I was given a backstage tour and was able to see one of the dressing rooms, the place where they keep some of the props backstage and also a dressing area in one of the “wings”. For those of you who may not know what a “wing” is, it is the area of a stage where the actors make their entrances and exits. “Wings” are on the left and right sides of the stage. During my tour I saw the stage-left wing.

Backstage in the left-wing dressing area

It was pretty amazing to see the show from a behind-the-scenes perspective. So much work goes into these performances both on-stage and off.

I would like to share my appreciation to the cast and crew that helped make my visit a wonderful experience.

 

Xo,

Sacha

 

Written by: Sacha Stewart Tagged with:,
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Posted On:May 16, 2012 Categories:Events, Miss Teen

The Varley Fine Art Auction 2012

On Wednesday, May 9th, 2012, I attended ‘The Varley Fine Art Auction’ at ‘The Varley Art Gallery’.

Volunteering at 'The Varley Fine Art Auction'

At this event I volunteered as an Art Runner, which is an individual that assists with the artwork that is being displayed on stage throughout the night. My specific task was to work with other Art Runners in putting the art on the easel and taking it off after the lot had been sold or passed.

The 62 Lots that were being auctioned at the event were donated by various artists, galleries, and businesses. The funds from the auctioned pieces were raised to support many of the educational programs that are available to the community at the Varley Art Gallery.

At this event I met Francesca Dauphinais, the Development Officer of the Varley-McKay Art Foundation of Markham and Terrence Pochmurski, the Chair of the Varley-McKay Art Foundation, among other wonderful individuals.

From the Left: Francesca Dauphinais, Myself, and Terrence Pochmurski

Thank you to the 2012 Auction Committee and the gallery staff for planning and hosting such a wonderful event!

Another special thank-you goes to my sponsors for apparel and hair services:

Melanie Lyne

The Sarum Room Salon and Spa

 

Stay tuned!

Xo,

Sacha

Written by: Sacha Stewart Tagged with:, , , ,
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Posted On:May 11, 2012 Categories:Events, Uncategorized

Eat Your Veggies!

It can be hard sometimes to make sure we have enough vegetables in our daily intake. But recently, I discovered a new way to cook and “eat my veggies” in a stir-fry! Bingo!

The Ingredients: (For approx. 5 servings)

-        2 Zucchinis (Chopped)

-        1 Red Pepper (Chopped)

-        1 Yellow Pepper (Chopped)

-        1 Broccoli (Chopped)

-        1 Green Onion (Diced)

-        Chicken Breast or Meat Substitute (Fully cooked and cut into small strips)

-        Salt

-        Pepper

-        Garlic Powder

-        Mango Chili Sauce (Or another sauce – i.e. Teriyaki Sauce, Soy Sauce)

-        Olive Oil

How to do it:

Step 1: Wash the vegetables and chop/dice them.

Step 2: Heat the olive oil in a pan.

Step 3: When the olive oil is heated in the pan, put the vegetables in and let them cook. Stir them frequently.

Step 4: Add Garlic Powder, Pepper, Salt and stir.

Step 5: As the vegetables begin to look darker (cooked), add the sauce, the chicken breast or meat substitute and stir.

Step 6: After a few more minutes and – VOILA! – You’ve got a stir-fry. Optional: Serve with rice.

Step 7: EAT YOUR VEGGIES!

There it is!

 

Super easy, super good. Enjoy your vegetables!

Xo,

Sacha

Written by: Sacha Stewart
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Posted On:May 1, 2012 Categories:Health, Miss Teen

Uncovering my sight

Since returning from my missions’ trip, I have been researching the ‘Kony 2012’ movement and have some developing opinions about it.

As many of you know, a large event is happening tonight, this Friday, April 20th, 2012. Action Kits have been sold. Groups have been planning their attendance. But do the masses truly understand the various impacts of this movement in all of its complexity?  It is always beneficial to understand the various view points and “sides of a story”… It only leads to a fuller understanding of what concerns are being shared and by that people can form a fair opinion on the matter. I would hope that my opinion would not minimilize the efforts of many to “Change the World”, but rather challenge them to dig deeper into the causes that they choose to support. I would hope that through my view point, young people would be encouraged to “Change the World” even though it is much more difficult than an Action Kit would make it seem…

I was privileged to go to Uganda and Kenya for 3 weeks this past March and actually just got back on March 29th! There our team was given the amazing opportunity of meeting with leaders who are making an incredible difference in the lives of those affected by the LRA war. We met a Ugandan woman named Alice Achan, who is rehabilitating, educating and reintegrating some of the young women who are victims of the LRA. The girls’ school that she founded provides a nursery for children of rape at the hands of the LRA and is based in Pader, Northern Uganda.  Another woman that we met in Uganda named Tricia De Boer, is counseling the people of the Acholi Quarter. The Acholi Quarter is a slum in Kampala, Uganda where over 11 000 people have been displaced as a result of the LRA war. Seeing Alice and Tricia on the grounds working directly with those that have been affected by the war has “uncovered my sight” to the more immediate needs of the people that we were privileged to spend time with.

My developing ideas and opinions towards this matter suggest that what is needed the most is not the awareness in North America of a war that’s last attack on Uganda was 6 years ago, or even the making of the war leader’s name “famous”, but possibly that there are more immediate needs of our Ugandan brothers and sisters. I am not by any means suggesting that justice should not be served. In my opinion it should be, but how that it is dealt with is the question. The issues related to this war are very complex and I do not have all the answers, but as I continue my research on this matter, I wonder, “Does this awareness campaign truly honour the Ugandan people? Or is it leading to sensationalism and over-exaggeration? Is it focusing more on the current needs of the Ugandans? Or on what North Americans can do to raise awareness? And what is more important to the Ugandans? ” Just something to think about…

Xo,

Sacha

Written by: Sacha Stewart
8 comments
Posted On:April 20, 2012 Categories:World Issue

Since being crowned…

Since being crowned...

Since being crowned ‘Miss Teen Ontario-World 2012′, I have been very busy! Attending interviews and making appearances have all been a part of my schedule. I have been away for a few weeks on a missions’ trip, and I think it is only fair that I get you all caught up on my adventures as an ambassador for Ontario!

Some of my media appearances include:

My Radio interviews with Godfrey Chisholm of Joy 1250 AM

My TV interview with Ann Mainse of 100 Huntley Street

A few of the written sources that I have been featured in:

Markham Snap

Markham Economist & Sun

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Now, let’s get you all caught up on the events!

Before I left for my missions’ trip, I was privileged to attend more than few wonderful events.

On February 5th, 2012, I had the opportunity of sharing my success story at Kingdom Covenant Centre. It was great being able to motivate others through my own experience preparing and participating in the Miss Teen Canada-World Ontario Provincial Pageant. I was honored to be a role model for the younger generation, as well as an inspiration to my peers and those that were older than me.

Throughout February, I participated in a tour of an educational play for Black History Month named “Railroad to Freedom” with a company called EMG Education. The character that I played was a modern version of Harriet Tubman. Since our team travelled to various schools in the GTA, we all took part in the set-up and tear-down of the sound system, and other pieces that we travelled with.

Towards the middle of the month, I received a letter from the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, David Onley! Wasn’t that a huge surprise!

On February 18th, 2012, I attended an event called Young, Black, & Gifted Dare II Dream (Toronto’s Premier Black History Youth Event). There were many other wonderful attendees, some of which included; Mr. Jesse Jones (Who gave a wonderful motivational speech that evening!), Mr. Dwayne Morgan (Who “Wow-ed” the crowd with his amazing poetry!), Ms. Danielle Dowdy (Who gave a speech on behalf of the Toronto Police Service!), and Mr. Andrew Forde (Who blew the crowd away with his amazing violin-playing talent!). Towards the end of the evening, I had the opportunity to present an award to the Founder of Recognize the Real, Mr. Clayton Thomas, for his phenomenal achievements working with youth in the Jane & Finch area. He was one of four honorees that evening. At this event, I met a musical group called Young Saintz as well as other artists. I also met a former Councilor of the City of Brampton, Mr. Garnett Manning, and a Consul-General of Jamaica, Mr. Seth George Ramocan, along with many other remarkable individuals.

On February 21st, 2012, I watched an amazing play that Unionville Theatre Company produced called, ‘Fame’! They had me singing, “I’m gonna’ live forever!”  It was an enjoyable night out where I saw the next generation becoming more involved in the artistic community. It was very interesting to be watching a production from a company that I used to be very much involved in as a girl. At this sneak preview of the play, underprivileged youth were invited to watch the show for free. At the intermission, I gave a motivational speech to the audience. I spoke with them about the importance of “Dreaming Big” and how visualizing our selves achieving our goals can motivate us to actually accomplish them. That night it felt like my dreams had come true (as cheesy as that may sound, I really mean it!). I was finally able to share my first motivational speech as Miss Teen Ontario-World 2012. The moment when I took it all in was really special for me!

Motivational Speech at UTC's Sneak Preview of "Fame"

From March 7th-29th, 2012, I travelled to and from Uganda and Kenya. Our team met with many leaders throughout the trip, but a few included; Alice Achan, who founded a girls’ school in Pader, Northern Uganda and through it is rehabilitating, educating and reintegrating young women and children that have been affected by the LRA war. We met a woman named Tricia De Boer, a Canadian that is working in Kampala, Uganda with a program named Africa Arise. This program is counseling the people of the Acholi Quarter, a slum where over 11 000 people have been displaced by the LRA war. Towards the end of the trip, we met another Canadian in the region of Turkana named Debra Sirjoosingh who works with PAOC Missions. Over the course of the trip, we also met with some of our Ugandan and Kenyan brothers and sisters and learned so much from them!

On April 6th, 2012, the Friday right before Easter weekend, I watched a play that focused in on the original meaning of the holiday that was called, “The Fountain of Life”. The whole production was fantastic, from the acting, to the music, to the technical aspects – but most of all, the message really was uplifting. It was a very pleasant beginning to my Easter weekend!

On April 13th, 2012, (Yes, it was “Friday the 13th”. Yes, I went outside. No, I don’t believe in bad luck!) I couldn’t let something like superstition hold me back from attending the Alice Tan Ridley Concert! What an amazing night filled with great music, laughter, and of course meeting Ms. A.T. Ridley! Alice Tan Ridley is a powerful singer who sang in the subways of New York for over 20 years. She was also on the TV Show, America’s Got Talent back in 2010. If she doesn’t sound familiar, try googling the movie, “Precious”. Alice is the lead actress’ mother in real life! Pretty cool huh? So back to my story… Alice brought the audience through a night of some of Motown’s favourites, as well as some modern pieces, like Adele’s “Someone Like You”. She also shared her new single, “Winning”. After the show, I stayed to meet her and also had the opportunity to see her being interviewed. The reporter even asked me if I wanted to ask a question! I wanted to find out why she used the word “joy” so much throughout the concert and in her general speech about the purpose of her career. I wondered what the difference between joy and happiness meant to her since many people generally use the word “happiness” to describe what they would like to bring people. Altogether her answer was powerful, but one of the things that really “stuck” with me was when she made the point that emotions like happiness and sadness are temporary but joy is lasting.

Alice Tan Ridley live in concert!

That is all for now, but I will be sure to keep you up to date on my newest adventures!

 

Xo,

Sacha

PS – Look out for my next blog post on my opinion of Kony 2012.

Written by: Sacha Stewart
2 comments
Posted On:April 19, 2012 Categories:Events, Media

Hello from Sacha Stewart, 2012 Miss Teen Ontario-World!

Moments after being crowned 'Miss Teen Ontario-World 2012'!

Hello, my name is Sacha Stewart and I was recently crowned Miss Teen Ontario-World 2012 on January 29th, 2012. It is an honor to represent the beautiful province of Ontario and I am very excited to see what this year holds.

I am 17 years old and an early graduate from high school this past January. It was there that I was enrolled in the Drama program that focused on acting for theatre. Some could call me a “Drammie” or a “Triple-Threat”, because I love to sing, dance and act… Usually all at the same time!  I simply love to perform.  It continually brings me a joy that is difficult to capture in one word so I will share a few words that seem to describe it in more depth; Exciting, Refreshing, and Rewarding! It gives me the opportunity to see the world from so many different perspectives, as well as understand people and more specifically, understand myself. It is so amazing to work hard and then be on stage or in front of a camera and share my discoveries with others. I am hoping to carry my passion for the Arts into my post-secondary education and soon after I would like to study Social Science.

Me in my element! Photo by: Kamshuka Photography

It has been said that the more you read, the better the writer you will be. So, since I enjoy writing songs, poems, plays, skits (short dramatic pieces), and about my life’s adventures, it is only fitting that I have benefitted from reading good books as well.

Having a sense of community is very important to me. I love being around my family, old friends and new friends. Over time, I have realized that without the strong community that I have been blessed with, I can honestly say that I would not be the individual that I am today. With that said I say this, I am dedicated to positively impacting my community. My passion for community work has lead to opportunities where I have been privileged to teach drama classes for youth, volunteer with a sports camp as a Leader in Training for two summers in a row, and stage manage and co-produce a full-length musical with Markham Youth Theatre Company, to name a few.

The Stewarts

One of my many interests is traveling. My voyages have taken me to New York City, the Dominican Republic and London, England. Some very exciting news is that I am leaving in just under 5 hours for Uganda and Kenya on a missions trip! In moments I will be on a plane to a place that will positively impact my life forever. I hope to come back to this wonderful country of Canada with a new understanding of the world, of people and a refreshed and increased level of compassion for others.

2012 Titleholder of Miss Teen Ontario-World:

While I have the honor of holding the title of Miss Teen Ontario-World 2012, I plan to motivate young people to pursue their dreams and be the best that they can be. I believe that there is so much potential in each and every individual and if beauty was truly seen through the eyes of the beholder, then young people would be much happier knowing that they are unique, wonderful and full of power to positively impact the world around them.

The Provincial Pageant was a great experience! It flew right by, but it was a weekend filled with fun, learning, making friends, and so much more. As for the Nationals, the countdown has already begun!

Platform:

My platform is to promote the funding of non-for-profits that reach out to underprivileged youth who are interested in multiplying and exploring their own creative talents.

This platform has developed from a first-hand experience that my family and I went through a few years ago. Towards the last couple of years in elementary school, I had been heavily involved in the Arts, with community theatre productions and dance classes. About a year after transitioning into high school, there was a musical theatre class that I wanted to take. Unfortunately at that time our family was simply unable to fund the classes. My parents and I worked an agreement out with the owner of the studio where we were able to clean the studio weekly and do other tasks to compensate for the fee of the class that I so “badly” wanted to take. This experience was tremendously humbling and from it I learned how parents often sacrifice for their children. As it also relates to my platform, I learned that many people struggle to fund their training in various art forms. This personal experience ignited a passion within my heart to make a difference in the lives of youth that would like to pursue and hone their craft, but do not have the resources to develop by themselves.

Thank You:

A special thank-you goes to the organizers of the Miss Teen Canada-World Pageant, and to all of our amazing sponsors. Thank you for making this experience possible!

To my Dear Readers:

I hope you have enjoyed learning a little bit more about me and that you will continue to read about my journey as Miss Teen Ontario-World 2012. I will make sure that I share all about my experience overseas on my missions trip when I return.

 

See you in 23 days!

Xo,

Sacha

Written by: Sacha Stewart
4 comments
Posted On:March 7, 2012 Categories:Miss Teen, Uncategorized

The Miss Teen Legacy lives on.

 
Written by: The Miss Teen Blog Team Tagged with:, , ,
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Posted On:March 1, 2012 Categories:Uncategorized

Summer’s Healthy Ice Cream = Homemade Popsicles

We all crave that ice cold treat on a hot summer day, but what we don’t crave is the extra calories that seem to always have a direct target to our butts/thighs/hips. Yup, it sucks but it happens. To avoid this you can either a) don’t eat it b) work it off or c) find an alternative. Frankly myself, I would like to find that compromise in the middle where I can enjoy a treat while also trying to stay some-what healthy during the summer season. The best way to do this is to make a homemade popsicle with fresh fruit. Onyx popsicle molds are truly amazing at creating these popsicles that you can create yourself. You can look up recipes, just make one of juice or you can create your own concoction and get creative.

One of my personal favorite is the “Watermelon-Mint Pop”. It basically requires;

Mmmm <3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Cups of Cubed Watermelon

1/3 cup Mint Leaaves

Juice of one lime

(optional) 1/3 cup of sugar

 

These are absolutely amazing and the mint adds just the right touch of “coolness” to help you relax on the hot day. If that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, go for another flavour, open up the creative aspect of your mind and just wing it. Trust me on this, it is so worth it.

Written by: Lauren Howe Tagged with:,
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Posted On:August 18, 2011 Categories:Fun, Health, Miss Teen

New Blog — Miss Teen Canada-World

Sadly, I must say goodbye to the Miss Teen Ontario blog

but don’t be sad because I’m saying…

HELLO Miss Teen Canada-World blog!

I will still be online, however I will be writing on the Miss Teen Canada World blog.

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all my sponsors and to everyone at the MTCW team – Maram Aoudi, Rob Campbell, Anthony, Chris Fry, Darren, Ryan, Darleen, Shawn, James, and the fabulous director Michelle Weswaldi! These are all amazing people who worked so hard to help out all the girls and made all of this happen.

 

Written by: Lauren Howe Tagged with:,
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Posted On:July 29, 2011 Categories:Miss Teen

MISS TEEN CANADA-WORLD?!

I am very proud to announce that last night, I was crowned the new Miss Teen Canada-World!

This past week has just been amazing. Not only was it so much fun going to many different events, but I have also met so many beautiful and kind people from across the country. I wanted to thank everyone at the pageant for making this past week such a success for every single one of the ladies there.

The night was going by very fast and each time the girls were narrowed down my heart felt as if it were about to stop but at the same time, I would have been so happy for any of the girls there if they were to move on. All the girls looked beautiful that night, especially in their gorgeous evening wear.

When the moment came:

When my name was announced as the new Miss Teen Canada-World, I was honestly shocked. I didn’t think that they actually said my name and it took a couple seconds for me to register that “this was really happening”. My body just started to shake profusely and I couldn’t stop the tears from coming. I was just in shock and my body was shaking for a long time afterwords. I am still shocked but I am so happy right now.

The next year for Miss Teen Canada World:

There are so many things I look forward to accomplish. Clearly I will not end world hunger, but if I could get more food venues involved in food recovery programs, if I can be a positive influence in people’s lives, that would be enough for me. I hope to finish my documentary on wasted food and homelessness in our local communities with the hopes of shining light on that issue. I am looking forward to the wide variety of opportunities that I will experience, to expose myself to things that I may have never thought of before. Ultimately, I just want to make a difference in people’s lives, no matter what that entails.

Thank you again so much to everyone at the Miss Teen Canada-World pageant for everything that they have done for all the girls!

Written by: Lauren Howe Tagged with:, , ,
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Posted On:July 17, 2011 Categories:Events, Miss Teen, Toronto