In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with eight-year-old Madison 'Maddie' Hensala, winner of the "I Voted" sticker contest. Maddie shares her excitement about designing the winning sticker, her love for art, and her goal of becoming an art teacher one day.

Maddie also reflects on moving from Wyoming to Boulder City, balancing third grade with competitive swimming and dance, and her love for reading Harry Potter—all while sharing valuable life lessons from her family, like treating others with kindness and enjoying summer days at her grandma's pool.

DISCUSSION

1. Third Grade & Dance Life: Starting third grade with Miss Egan, making friends, and dancing at Dance Etc., including performing in Annie.
   
   
2. "I Voted" Sticker Contest Winner: Creating the patriotic, flower-themed design for America 250 using fancy markers, and winning an award certificate for her art.
   
   
3. Future Dreams: Aspiring to become an art teacher to support and educate future generations.
   
   
4. Competitive Swimming: Racing in swim meets, winning awards, and following in the footsteps of Boulder City’s talented athletic history.
   
   
5. Moving from Wyoming to Nevada: Comparing freezing winters and hot chocolate in Wyoming to the warm weather and pool days in Boulder City.
   
   
6. Love of Reading: Building a personal library with a spinning bookcase, reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and being read to sleep by family.
   
   
7. Family & Friendship Connections: Growing up with two older sisters, building strong friendships in a tight-knit community, and staying close with family.
   
   
8. Life Lessons & Golden Rules: Learning from her dad to treat others the way you want to be treated, and making memories staying at her grandma's house.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com.

KEYWORDS

Madison Hensala, Boulder City, I Voted Sticker Contest, Dance Etc, America 250, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#MadisonHensala #IVoted #ArtContest #BoulderCity #PublicService #YouthTalent #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript 

Jill: Special listeners, we have a special guest today. Her name is Maddie Hensala, and she is amazing. I cannot wait for you guys to get to know her a little bit better. She is also part of the I Voted sticker project, and her art was selected, and, it's because she's extremely talented. And so make sure you check the show notes out so that you can see her beautiful art.

Or make sure you vote so you can get a sticker that she made special just for you. So welcome, Miss Maddie. Thank you for being here.

Madison: Of course. Thanks for having me.

Jill: Oh, you're more than welcome. You're so adorable. Okay, so Maddie, how old are you?

Madison: I'm eight years old.

Jill: Oh, my goodness. I remember when I was eight.

Eight is great. Lots of great things happen when you're eight. I think that's awesome. And so what year are you in school?

Madison: I'm in third grade.

Jill: You're in third grade this year, right? And you just started this week, right? Are you loving it so far?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: And who's your teacher?

Madison: Miss Egan.

Jill: Do you love her?

Oh, I've heard so many great things about her, so that's really amazing. Good for you. And what about the kids in your class? Are you getting to know them a little bit?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: You kinda knew most of them from last year, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Well, that's good. And then do you play sports with some of them, so you know them from that?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Do you dance?

Madison: I dance, yeah.

Jill: You do dance? And so do you know some of them from dance as well?

Madison: Yeah, some of them.

Jill: Oh, very good. And where do you dance?

Madison: At Dance Etc.

Jill: Of course, the little pink studio. Do you know that I was one of the first students at Dance Etc. way, way, way back many, many, many years ago when Dance Etc. first got started by a Miss Amy Yanez?

Madison: You were?

Jill: Yes. Oh, so cool. I was one of the first students, yep, and then I taught there, and I still teach there. I teach exercise there in the mornings.

Madison: That's so cool.

Jill: Isn't that cool? Well, I think it's so cool that you have been a student with Ms. Anna. And who is your dance teacher? Do you know?

Madison: This year I had Ms. Bailey for both of my classes.

Jill: Ugh, she's adorable, too. Oh, I'm so glad. I'm glad you are enjoying that and you're enjoying our beautiful community, 'cause it's great to live in Boulder City, isn't it?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: I agree. And so tell me a little bit about the I Voted sticker art that you did. How did you know that was a contest you could be a part of?

Madison: I just really like drawing and I really like coloring and all of that.

Jill: Oh, my goodness. I bet you've been doing it for a long time. Have you? 

Madison: Yeah. 

Jill: Very good. And so do you want to be an artist when you grow up?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Oh, really? What else do you wanna be?

Madison: I wanna be an art teacher.

Jill: An art teacher. Oh, my goodness. Anybody that wants to be a teacher, you have all my support. We need those teachers. They're pretty amazing, aren't they?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Oh, thank you. Thank you in advance for teaching the future youth, right? 

Madison: Yeah. 

Jill: 'Cause they're important. We need you guys. We need you to be smart, and we need to have teachers that love teaching, so I'm glad you're willing to do that. Very cool. Okay, let's go back to the sticker. So you must've got a flyer or something that said, "Hey, do you wanna paint a sticker or decorate a sticker?" Is that what you did?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: And so then once you get this, you're like, "Okay, ding, ding, ding. This is the idea. This is how I wanna do it." How did you come up with the idea?

Madison: I just took a few minutes to think and then I was like, "Oh my gosh, I love flowers," and so I drew a big flower and I drew I drew the American flag and everything I drew was all American flag theme.

Jill: I know, and it's so perfect for the America 250, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: So it's perfect for America 250. It's perfect for making sure people are interested and love to vote. And so that was such a perfect theme. I loved it. And I loved the flower. It was gorgeous. That is a good... That was a good choice.

Madison: Thank you.

Jill: You're welcome. Well, thank you for thinking of that. Okay, so what is something that. What's one of your favorite things to do? What do you like doing?

Madison: I like swimming and dancing.

Jill: Ooh, swimming is so good for you, too, and so healthy.

Madison: I do competitive swim.

Jill: Oh, goodness. sometimes I wonder about being competitive. Does it make you feel like you gotta just go, go, go, go, go? Are you that kind of a competitive swimmer?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: You are? And so do you win awards?

Madison: Yeah. At my swim meets I win awards for however many I, however many times I race.

Jill: Oh, my gosh. congratulations. You know, Boulder City has put out some pretty talented swimmers.

Do you remember Zane Grothe? Do you know that name, Zane Grothe? You guys will have to

Madison: I think I do.

Jill: You do? You'll have to Google it if you don't, 'cause Zane has set some amazing records here in the United States, and he was well on his way to go to the Olympics. Yeah. He was a good friend of my daughter, who is an Olympian.

Yeah. Very cool, huh? So Boulder City puts out some pretty talented young people and I'm sure you're gonna be one of them. So very cool. Congratulations on that. 

Madison: Thank you. 

Jill: So, have you had any, I know sometimes you can be shy, right? Have you been shy sometimes? 

Madison: Yeah. 

Jill: But it sounds like if you're a competitive swimmer, when you get in that water, you're not shy. When you get on the stage, you're not shy. So is it maybe just shy around adults, but then when you're performing you're doing great?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: I can only imagine. congratulations on that. What was your dance? What, what music did you guys just dance to at the last concert?

Madison: What was it called, Mom?

Jill: Ooh,

Madison: ballet

Jill: Ballet,

Madison: Yeah

Jill: Oh. Yeah. Yes, that's right. You were part of the, the Annie crowd, huh?

Madison: Yep.

Jill: That was very fun. I'm sure you loved it. Who was Annie this year?

Madison: Her name was Oakley.

Jill: Oakley. Oh my goodness, how amazing. I bet you guys had lots of fun, and the costumes were adorable.

Madison: Yes.

Jill: Were they so cute? And you had two costumes this year, right?

Madison: Not yet, but I'm gonna have two costumes, yes.

Jill: Oh my goodness. That's gonna be so fun.

Madison: I'm really excited .

Jill: Do you guys save your costumes after and use them for dress-up?

Madison: We don't use them for dress-up, but we do save them.

Jill: Oh, very good.

Madison: My mom puts them all on memorabilia.

Jill: Oh, I love it. I'm so glad.

Your mom does great things, and that's gonna be fun for you guys to look back on. 

Madison: Yeah. 

Jill: Because I know my girls used them for dress-up for the longest time, and so that is pretty cool. That's a very fun thing to do. Okay, so let me ask you a little bit more about the design. So do you, have special coloring pencils or crayons or something- that you use? Markers?

Madison: We use these, like, I don't remember what brand they were, but we use these, really fancy markers to do that .

Jill: And that's kinda your favorite thing. So when you sit down with your fancy markers, it makes you draw or color or design better, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Isn't that fun how that works? When you have the right tools, it really works, doesn't it?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: I agree. I think that's awesome. Do you have to have special paper?

Madison: No, just any paper works.

Jill: Oh, very good. You can just use scrap paper?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: That is awesome. I love that. Ooh, can I look at... I'm gonna show this on the show notes as well. 

Madison: Of course. 

Jill: Sorry, listeners, but I am looking at some amazing and beautiful artwork. This is actually the certificate she won as well, and I love the fact that you added in the word vote in there, too. It really encourages people to do that, right? 

Madison: Yeah. 

Jill: It's not just like the generic sticker we always would get.

Man, I can't wait to get this. This is gonna make me want to go vote just so I can get the sticker. Oh, man, you are so talented. Thank you so much for that. Maddie, where were you born?

Madison: Wyoming.

Jill: Oh, that's something people probably didn't know about you, right?

And so how long have you lived in Boulder City?

Madison: Three years

Jill: Yeah, about two and a half, three years.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Very cool. Have you learned to love Boulder City? Did you miss Wyoming?

Madison: Sometimes I miss it, but sometimes I'm like, "Oh my goodness, I'm so glad that I'm in this heat, not in the freezing weather."

Jill: I love your perspective. You know that? Because a lot of people right now are thinking, "Oh my gosh, this heat is oppressive." But you are right. I would much rather be too warm than too cold. 'Cause once I get cold, my bones get cold, and I just can't warm up. 

Madison: Yeah. And I'm sure you experience that, right? Oh, very cool. And so I love the, the summers and the heat too. 'Cause we can always go swimming.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: We can go play at the lake, you can play in the pool, go to the public pool.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Just play in your sprinklers, in your water, in your hose.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Yeah.

Madison: But the good thing about living in Wyoming was you always got hot chocolate. And you always got to take these nice warm showers and baths, and it was so nice.

Jill: Oh, that's pretty special. Yeah. That's gonna be a great memory for you, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Oh, very cool. Do you write in a journal?

Madison: No , Not really .

Jill: Or a diary or something? You could write that down in a diary or a journal, 'cause that's something right now at eight you remember that, and you remember how special those warm showers and those fun little baths were that made you happy and made hot cocoa seem so special.

Madison: Yeah. 

Jill: You gotta write that down in a journal or something so you can remember that. 

Madison: Okay . 

Jill: That is very cool. And then you can draw pictures in your journal. Because you're so extremely talented, you could write pictures of things you see or the feelings you have or whatever. 

Madison: Yeah. 

Jill: That would be a really cool concept.

Okay. So I always like to ask my guests some personal questions. Okay?

Madison: Okay.

Jill: So what is your favorite book or what book are you reading right now?

Madison: One of my favorite books that I'm still reading is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Jill: Ooh.

Madison: I've seen all of the... I've seen till the fourth movie. My parents won't let me watch any of the other ones 'cause they're too scary.

Jill: Yeah, a little dark.

Yeah. That's okay. You'll grow up.

Madison: Don't worry. But I really like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. 

Jill: Oh, that's fun. And so what's your favorite part? The, like the fantasy part of it, the mystery, or the relationships that the kids all have?

Madison: Probably

Jill: The mystery of it all?

Yeah. And learning a little bit more about all of the, the parts, the components that make up what a sorcerer's stone is all about, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: There's some really cool pieces to that, right?

Oh, I'm glad that you enjoy read. Do you love reading?

Madison: I love reading.

Jill: Oh, good for you.

Madison: I have, like, this, white spinning bookcase in my room.

Jill: Oh, man.

Madison: It has so many books. Some of my books are just laying on the floor. I have too many.

Jill: You need two spinning bookcases in your room now, huh?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: So you only have your own personal library.

That is so cool. I'm glad you like to read. Reading will last a lifetime, and it will be so helpful for everything that you do.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: That is very cool. Well, congratulations for enjoying that. Did your mom or dad teach you to love books and reading? 

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: They did? So do they read to you?

Madison: They ... My mom and my grandma and my dad, they used to

Jill: Yeah

Madison: to, put me to sleep, but they don't do it anymore.

Jill: They don't have to 'cause now you can read yourself to sleep.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: That's great, but they gave you that foundation. They taught you to love books because they read to you, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: I think that's such a great bonding activity, too.

And so do you have brothers and sisters?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: You do. Tell me how many.

Madison: I have two sisters.

Jill: Two, and what's their names?

Madison: One is 16, and her name is Sadie.

Jill: Ooh, I love that name.

Madison: And then one is 12, and her name is Kennedy.

Jill: Kennedy, very good. And I think Kennedy is good friends with Riley Knutson, right?

‘adison: Yep. '

Jill: Cause Riley was our other sticker winner, right? 

Madison: Yeah. 

Jill: Our Voted Sticker winner. 

Yes, she spoke about your sister a little bit, so I'm glad to know you guys have such good friendships. That's one of the greatest things about Boulder City is we're pretty tight-knit. 

Madison: Yeah. 

Jill: So I was born and raised here, too, and growing up here, we had a lot of great friends. A lot of my friends that I grew up with and played with on my block, in my cul-de-sac, we're good friends now, and we're all still close right here in Boulder City.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: So it's really kind of cool that you have roots like that, right? I love that. That's very cool. So Maddie, will you tell me maybe something that you think your mom and dad have taught you that is gonna be so important for the rest of your life? I already gave you one thing, the reading thing.

Madison: Yeah. 

Jill: That's gonna be so important, but can you think of anything else, maybe about, maybe about honesty, integrity, maybe about how to treat other people? Are any of those things something that you guys really practice in your home?

Madison: My dad always used to tell me, "Treat others the way you wanted to be treated."

Jill: Yes.

That's pretty wise. That's pretty smart. Do you think he does that, and so now he's teaching you how important that is because he sees the value in it?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: I bet. I bet that's probably the truth, huh? That's pretty special. And you talked about your grandma, so your grandma must be here close, too?

Oh, very cool. How fun is that?

Madison: she's actually really close. She's just up the hill.

Jill: Perfect. Isn't that the best?

So my grandma used to live right next door to me, right here in Boulder City. It was the funnest thing ever.

Madison: And she has a pool and a hot tub.

Jill: Well, she's very valuable then.

That's great, and she's gonna... She pays for all of the upkeep and taking care of it, and you just get to go there and play.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: I love that.

Madison: Smart. When we moved here, we actually did, we had, we went and we lived with her for, like, nine months, and it was really cool.

Jill: Oh, how fun is that?

Madison: It was so fun 'cause, in summer, when summer started, we woke up, and my mom and my grandma woke up, woke us up, and she was like, "Guess what?

The pool's, like, 90 degrees and we shot out of bed and just got on our swimsuits and just immediately got in that pool.

Jill: So you woke up and started swimming. You didn't even have to go anywhere. You just go right outside.

Madison: Yep.

Jill: Oh my goodness, how great is that? 

Madison: It's pretty great.

Jill: Oh, that, your grandma sounds pretty special.

That is awesome. you know what? This has been so much fun visiting and getting to know you.

Thank you very much for your talent and sharing your talents and skills with others. That is very special that you're willing to do that. We sure appreciate you, and congratulations on being selected.

Madison: Thank you.

Jill: You're welcome. Have a super day.

Madison: You, too.