Liberty Sophomore Vies For Miss Maryland Teen USA Title

From modeling for a national magazine and collecting coats for charity, to cheerleading for the varsity cheerleading team and making the distinguished honor roll, Madeleine Johnson, 15, of Eldersburg isn't your average high school sophomore.

This weekend, Johnson hopes to add to her list of accomplishments, competing against more than 90 contestants in the Miss Maryland Teen USA pageant at the Marriott Bethesda Conference Center on Oct. 29 and 30.

"I am excited and nervous for pageant weekend and have dedicated the past six months to pageant preparation, eating right, working out, pageant training and keeping a positive attitude," said Johnson.

This ambitious teenager is very active in high school and her community. She has been a varsity cheerleader for the past two years, a member of Liberty’s Magic and varsity clubs, a recipient of the President’s Academic Achievement Award, and a member of American Cheerleader Magazine's "Hot Squad" 2011-2012.

Johnson was also contracted to model for the January/February Issue of Inside Cheerleading Magazine, traveling to Atlanta, Ga. last week for her photo shoot.

"It was an amazing opportunity to represent Liberty High School in this national publication and the uniforms we modeled were amazing," said Johnson. "The issue will be out in January/February 2012 and I can't wait to see it. I met the publishers and editors and made contacts with the magazine for future modeling opportunities as well as an internship." 

Madeleine has been a cheerleader since she was five years old. She feels that cheerleading and pageants have a lot in common saying, "you have to have a winning smile, a great attitude and work ethic, and bring your 'A' game every time you step in front of an audience."

If she tops the competition on Sunday, she'll join the ranks of , 18, the 2011 Miss Maryland Teen USA who placed in the top 15 at the Miss Teen USA competition in the Bahamas this summer.

In preparation for the pageant over the past six months, Johnson has hit the gym and worked closely with Megan Graybeal, of MG Models and Courtney Hejl, former Miss Maryland Teen USA 2003 and full-time professional model.

But that isn't all, she's also dedicated herself to charity work.

"I am most proud of collecting more than 110 coats for the Miss Maryland Teen USA Humanitarian Service Project," said Johnson. "The coats will go to Happy Helpers for the Homeless, a Maryland organization that provides services for the homeless.

"I reached out to friends, family, neighbors, classmates, and my parents' co-workers to collect these coats over the past three months. I had a personal goal of collecting a minimum of 100 coats and I am happy to have exceeded my goal."

Her parents Donna and Jack Johnson are also looking forward to this weekend, sticking by their daughter through the entire process leading up to the big day.

"We are extremely proud of Maddie and her participation in the Miss Maryland Teen USA pageant," said her mother Donna Johnson. "She has spent countless hours with her pageant coaches fine tuning her interview skills, her public speaking skills, her stage presence and her pageant wardobe.

"Maddie and I spent most of the weekend reviewing her notes, packing her warobe for the weekend and labeling all her items. It has been a bonding experience and no matter where she finishes we are proud of the hard work and effort she has put forth. No matter what the final results are Maddie is a true winner in our eyes!"

For Maddie, the work has been well worth it, but she's looking forward to end of the road, whatever the results may be.

"I can't wait until the pageant begins but when it is over I am truly looking forward to eating a cheeseburger and french fries, it has been a good three months since my last cheeseburger," said Johnson.