YOUTH SPOTLIGHT: Area girls selected from pool of 200 for national magazine

BYLINE: MONIQUE FRIGARD, REVIEW-JOURNAL

Sisters Kara and Alexa Reghenzani were more than happy to be subscribers to the magazine Discovery Girls, a publication that caters to girls ages 8-12. But to say they were happy about being chosen to be a Discovery Girl is an understatement.

Alexa, 12, and Kara, 9, are two of 12 girls selected from a pool of about 200, said Discovery Girls Editor Catherine Lee. The girls sent in their applications in November and on Dec. 15 found out they were part of the final group.

They started subscribing to the magazine when their grandmother, Jeanne Rivard, brought it home from the supermarket.

"I thought it was great, because it was in their age range," Rivard said.

The national magazine enlists the 12 winners from a selected state to write columns, model clothes and share their thoughts on what should be featured in the bi-monthly magazine. Other states slated to be in the spotlight this year are Arizona, Massachusetts, Illinois, Missouri and New York. In other words, the magazine is for girls by girls.

The magazine chose 11 girls from Las Vegas and one from Reno. They shot photos around the valley and in the studio for close-ups over the weekend. The girls will be featured in the June-July issue of the magazine, which goes on sale in May.

Lee said they chose the winners from their subscribers and look for diversity among the girls, not only in age, but in attitude.

"We present girls who can relate with other girls," Lee said. "We look for girls who play different kinds of sports, or maybe one that's really shy, so shy girls can relate."

Kara said when she and her sister sent in their applications, they were asked to write about fashion, family, food and other fun subjects.

The magazine also required the girls to answer questions in the form of an advice column. One of the questions was "What was your most embarrassing moment?" The girls answered with their own stories.

"I had glue stuck in my hair," Kara said. "I tried to cut it out, and my mom tried to get it out, too.

"Then we read the back (of the container), and it said 'washes out with water.' "

Brianne Kirch, 10, couldn't think of a moment when she was embarrassed, so she wrote about her hobbies, her schoolwork and fashion in Las Vegas.

"We were asked what kind of accessories are popular in Las Vegas," Brianne said. "I wrote that hoop earrings are popular, mood rings, sandals, Roxy T-shirts and Paul Frank (brand clothing)."

Discovery Girls