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Caroline Cave (left), who teaches kindergarten at Farmers Branch Elementary, is the current title holder of Miss Heart of Texas. A CFBISD alum, she returned as a teacher after graduating from Texas Woman’s University. Cave focuses on providing students with the vocabulary and skills they need to be emotionally literate and has a passion for helping kids with resources to be happy and healthy humans.
A’Jah Moore (right), eighth-grade English Language Arts teacher at Vivian Field Middle School, is the current Miss Dallas title holder. She grew up in DeSoto, Texas and loves working with children and helping them recognize their potential in the classroom. Moore is the founder of The Purposeful Girl, in which through the youth leadership initiative, Purposefully You, students have the opportunity to build confidence, discover who they are and develop leadership skills.
Cave: I have often joked that I am living the Hannah Montana life—kindergarten teacher by day and Miss Heart of Texas by night. My title this year represents me so well in that I have a huge heart for kids. That transition between teacher and titleholder is smooth and easy for me because it’s the same kindness, love and heart that’s put 100% into everything I do.
Moore: "Honestly, every day is a little different. During the day, I'm in the classroom teaching middle schoolers, which definitely keeps me on my toes. After school, I might be heading to a community event, speaking engagement, or working on programs for Purposefully You through The Purposeful Girl. It can be busy, but both roles are centered around helping people grow, so they really complement each other."
Cave: "The Miss America opportunity allows me to use social media as a brand ambassador. I have taken this role a step further and consider myself a brand ambassador for my school and for the district. I am very intentional with the way I post things and how I showcase myself because I want it to show my most authentic self—who I am as a teacher and a titleholder. Social media can sometimes show a distorted view of someone’s life and I feel that as a titleholder and an educator, I have a duty to showcase the real experiences as well as the professionalism needed to do both jobs."
Moore: "What I believe sets me apart as a teacher is that I have a way of being corrective but still showing love to my students. I believe it’s rare to embody both. I’ve learned that students crave discipline and structure; they just don’t always know how to ask for it. Teachers are literally second parents to students and for me, it’s important that while they’re in my care, I’m shaping them to become the leaders I know they can be. Something I’ve found is that kids care less about what you know and more about if you care. The most important things I want students to feel when they walk into my classroom are love and safety, and over the years, I can truly say I’ve been successful in that area."
Moore: "Middle school can be tough. It's a season where students are constantly asking themselves, 'Who am I?' and 'Where do I fit in?' I know what it's like to wrestle with those questions, which is actually what inspired me to start The Purposeful Girl and Purposefully You. I try to help students focus on their strengths, their values, and what makes them unique rather than comparing themselves to everyone else. When young people understand who they are, they tend to walk into every room a little differently."
Cave: "I believe it has shown them that anything is truly possible—all you have to do is try. We constantly talk about being a leader and what a leader does in and out of the classroom. I started an initiative with my students where I have them look for leadership qualities in their peers and point them out, so we can recognize them for their leadership. I feel it’s important to foster that now so they build that intrinsic motivation as early as possible to want to be a leader and do the right thing."
Could you tell us about your Community Service Initiative and how you have integrated that mission into your school or local community?
Moore: "My community service initiative is centered around youth confidence, identity, and leadership development through The Purposeful Girl and our leadership program, Purposefully You. What makes it special to me is that it comes from a personal place. I know what it's like to struggle with confidence and identity as a young person, so being able to help students navigate those same challenges is incredibly rewarding. Whether it's through workshops, mentorship, or community events, my goal is to help young people realize they already have value and potential inside of them."
Cave: "My service Initiative is called Little People, Big Feelings, and it’s designed to teach young students that feelings oftentimes are important information that we need to know about ourselves. We talk about how to recognize when we are feeling a big emotion and how our body and mind will always show us signs of what we are feeling. I then teach the students how to regulate themselves by using breathing exercises and grounding techniques to help themselves stay calm. This is a daily practice in my classroom and something I’ve been fortunate to share with my school community as well. It’s been a very powerful tool in their social-emotional development and I’m so proud of how it’s elevated my classroom."
Cave: "My car right now has goldfish and crayons, along with my Miss Texas badge from last year’s competition and our competition magazine. I think many people forget that this is a scholarship organization and happens to be the largest organization that provides scholarships to women. Oftentimes, when I share the Miss America Opportunity with my coworkers and students, they see the glamour of it all. However, it has actually helped me pay off a large portion of my student loans and plan for my future career goals. I am forever thankful for the scholarship opportunities I’ve been granted through this organization. If anyone is interested in competing in pageants, go for it and show up as yourself. Pageants pour so much into people’s professional and personal growth and I believe everyone should have the opportunity to compete."
