Miss Junior Teen says everyone can pitch in

Coral Wilson

Amy Saunders of Huntington Beach doesn’t know who nominated her as

Miss Junior Teen Huntington Beach West, but after winning the title,

she plans to live up to the honor by serving her city well.

Amy will go on to compete for the title of Miss Junior Teen

California on Aug. 31, but in the meantime the 13-year-old Dwyer

Middle School student already has plans for the city, her mother

Kimber said.

“I would like to put out the word that Huntington Beach is a good

place with a good community,” Amy said. “It’s a fun place to be and

everyone helps to keep it clean.”

At Monday night’s City Council meeting, Amy plans to offer her

assistance with city programs and beach clean-up projects. She will

also make a proposal to the city, mandating community service for all

students from sixth to eighth-grade, Saunders said.

It was her service to the community that made the difference in

winning the title, Amy said. When a leadership class at Dwyer Middle

School required three and a half hours of service, Amy worked 25

hours at the Orange County Humane Society.

“Amy loves community service and will offer her help to help the

city,” Kimber Saunders said. “She found that the more she gave, the

more she loved it.”

Through writing letters, Amy was able to collect nearly every item

on the Humane Society’s wish list including towels, 1,000 pounds of

dog and cat food, money, heating pads, shampoo and toys. “She has put

in a lot of work and never expected anything,” her mother said. “She

just thinks that’s what kids should do.”

Amy is preparing to compete against about 150 girls, age 13 to 15,

for the Miss Junior Teen California crown. If she wins, she will

travel to New York in the fall for the national title of Miss Junior

Teen America, she said.

Amy’s future goal is to earn a law degree from Harvard University

but for now, she said she is very nervous about the upcoming

competition.

“I’m going to be a little anxious,” Amy said. “I am working on my

speech and practicing walking in my gown so I don’t fall down.”