Brave Beauty

Volume 6 Issue 2 Fall-Winter 2019
By Madison Monroe, Editor

e caught up with 12-year-old Addie Rose Castleberry on the last day of her year long reign as Miss Arkansas Junior High. She had recently returned from Miss America Junior High, where she placed in the top fifteen.

As she began to relay her story, this precocious beauty surprised us all with her enthusiasm for her BRAVE platform. Over the past year she has made over fifty appearances promoting the national anti-bullying initiative BRAVE—which is an acronym for Building Respect And Values for Everyone. For her, it’s personal.

Her older brother was bullied so badly in school that her parents moved both children out of the school district and into a private school.

To show the irreparable damage inflicted by bullying, Addie Rose created a demonstration that she facilitates when she talks in schools and classrooms.

She engages the audience through volunteer participation and instructs one volunteer to hold up a piece of notebook paper for the class to see. She then instructs the other volunteer to wad another piece of notebook paper into a ball.

After the paper is crumpled, she asks the volunteer to straighten it out and hold it up for the class to see. Then she asks the classroom, “Which piece of paper would you rather use?” She likens the damaged paper to the heart of a bullied child.

Even though it is still a usable piece of paper, the damage is there and the paper cannot be made straight again. “After being bullied, you are never the same,” she said. “I like to show that kindness is cool.”

You can follow Addie Rose on Instagram @addie_rose_castleberry

Did you like this article? Subscribe to Brave Magazine!

~ Read the Current Brave Issue or explore Previous Brave Issues ~

_{Brave Magazine is published and paid for by FlagandBanner.com and our advertisers. It is FREE to FlagandBanner.com customers. The magazine publishes twice a year in May and October. We'd love to hear from you! Comments, questions, information, advertising, subscriptions or to share your Brave story with us!}

_{Phone: (501) 255-5701 | Email: letters@bravemagazine.com | Address: 800 W. 9th Street, Little Rock, AR 72201}

Shop All Products

Brave Beauty