|
Former Mrs. Alaska Monica Bradner talks to a group of Liberty Lake youth during an etiquette class at
Liberty Lake City Hall. Bradner was Mrs. Alaska from 1998 to 1999 and operates image consulting and
etiquette business IMAGE by m. brandner.
Splash photo by Evan Jensen
Two-hour session
teaches manners,
respect and kindness.
LIBERTY LAKE — If you have
ever wondered how to maneuver
though a buffet line, write a
thank you note for a gift, take a
telephone message and make a
great first impression, 16 Liberty
Lake youth have the answer after
spending an afternoon with former
Mrs. Alaska.
Former Mrs. Alaska Monica
Brandner hosted an etiquette class
at Liberty Lake City Hall last week
and taught a group of youth the
essentials to proper party manners,
introducing friends and
acquaintances, the rules of cell
phone etiquette and other life
skills not commonly taught in
school. The two-hour workshop
was part of a growing number of
offerings by the city’s parks and
recreation department and one of
a series of classes Brandner also
hosts in downtown Spokane and
Spokane Valley.
"I thought it was really informative,
and I got a lot out of it,"
said Liberty Lake resident Kelby
Gummersall, who attended the
workshop with her sister McKenzie
and brother Jace. "I learned a
lot of new things, and I actually
know how to eat a cookie properly
now. I learned some good skills
to use when meeting new people
and know what’s OK and not OK to say."
Brandner earned the title of
Mrs. Alaska in 1998 and toured
the state reaching out to young
people. She turned her passion
for helping youth into a business
after retiring the crown in 1999.
Brandner operates IMAGE by m.
brandner and teaches life skills to
Spokane area youth. She’s shared
her wisdom with Rogers High
School youth, Spokane Falls Community
College students and more
than 150 youth who have attended
"I learned a lot of new things,
and I actually know how to
eat a cookie properly now."
— Kelby Gummersall
her classes on etiquette, dining
and relationships. However, her
rise to Alaska’s woman of the year
was never really on her to-do list.
"I never ever thought I would
be in a pageant," Brandner said. "I
didn’t really have any desire, but
my father-in-law heard they were
looking for Mrs. Alaska candidates
and said I should enter. I
wasn’t going to do it, but my family
all felt like I should. I finally
realized that it could be a great
platform for me to speak to young
people. I felt like I had something
in my heart I really wanted to
say. I’m so glad I did because it
opened doors for me that would
have never opened without the
opportunity to be Mrs. Alaska."
Inside City Hall, Brandner
shared her wisdom gained from
traveling the state of Alaska meeting
with young people and finetuned
with the help of a professional
image and etiquette trainer
in Seattle. The Liberty Lake youth
practiced making proper introductions,
giving handshakes and
writing a thank you note. Brander
and the youth also talked about
positive communication skills,
leadership and what it takes to
make a good first impression.
"Smiling is like a beautiful gift
we can give to people," Brandner
said. "You can light up a room
when you smile. Smiling makes a
connection with people. We are
all like a walking billboard and
people are always looking at us.
The way you walk, dress and present
yourself says a lot about who
you are. You need to remember
that when you start to think about
where you want to go in life."
"Smiling is like a beautiful gift
we can give to people," Brandner
said. "You can light up a room
when you smile. Smiling makes a
connection with people. We are
all like a walking billboard and
people are always looking at us.
The way you walk, dress and present
yourself says a lot about who
you are. You need to remember
that when you start to think about
where you want to go in life."
Before the two-hour etiquette
session was over, the 16 youth
promised to perform random
acts of kindness for a parent or a
family member, treat others with
kindness and respect and learn
how to properly eat a cookie.
"When I was Mrs. Alaska, I
wanted to really get in to the lives
of young girls and show them you
can be proud of who you are, you
can love yourself and accept who
you are,” Brandner said. “I’m so
passionate about this. It drives me
because I am so concerned about
the youth of the up and coming
generation. I hope I can reach out
to them and make a difference in
the world."
|
by m. brandner, Monica Brandner