Miss Connecticut visits St. Anthony School

WINSTED — St. Anthony School received a special visit Tuesday afternoon when Miss Connecticut Brittany Decker dropped by to tell students about herself, sing songs and encourage children to follow their dreams.Decker’s appearance came on the heels of her participation in the Miss America 2011 pageant in Las Vegas, Nev., in January. Despite not ending up with the crown, she ended up being the roommate of this year’s winner, Teresa Scanlan of Nebraska, and the two have remained friends since the pageant.More recently, Decker became the newest MyTV9 Star for Connecticut television station WCTX, which involves traveling to events and highlighting places of interest across the state.Decker was invited by St. Anthony School student Tara Lynch, who is the current Junior Miss Litchfield County. Tara told teachers she thought Decker’s visit would bring a positive message to students.Decker showed videos and slides of charity work she has done in Haiti and Cambodia as part of her platform to encourage global citizenship and noted that there are children around the world experiencing hardship and needing help. “The great thing about traveling is it really opens your eyes to see how lucky you are to live in this country,” she said. “But there is a lot going on in Connecticut in America. If you want to do community service, there is always something to get involved in.”Decker serves on the board of directors for a medical clinic in Cambodia and raises money for the Christian Haitian Outreach Orphanage in Haiti. She has said she wants to carry on similar missions here in the United States.Children in the youngest grades asked Decker questions about what it was like to travel and meet children from other countries. She noted that children from impoverished countries are grateful for the visits and not materialistic. “They just want love and attention.”Decker sang “Amazing Grace” for Tuesday’s assembly and told students to set goals in life every day. “Whatever you want to do is not out of reach,” she said. “Don’t let anything stand in your way.St. Anthony School Principal Patricia DeVanney thanked Decker for making the appearance. “I am proud of you for what you’ve done,” she said. “Thank you for being here. You’ve given us all a lot to think about.”