As a child, Adrianna Sgarlata's bullies would spit chewed up cookies in her hair and steal and break her school supplies.

Sgarlata didn't tell her parents about the bullying, and instead faked stomachaches to avoid riding the bus. When her appendix burst, her parents thought her complaints of a stomachache were just another trick.

She almost died.

"I didn't really know what it meant to be bullied," Sgarlata said. No one ever came to her school to talk about bullying. She thought it was just a part of growing up.

During an Oct. 9 visit to Community School, Sgarlata, who's 23 and was crowned Miss Virginia this year, used her personal experiences to teach children what she learned the hard way. She shared her story and her messages about bullying and Internet safety.

The visit was on par with the school's participation in i-SAFE, an organization funded by the U.S. Department of Justice that promotes Internet safety education, said Lelia Cross, Community School's technology coordinator.

Cross teaches the pupils about Internet safety in her computer classes, but Sgarlata provided "a fresh voice ... just reaffirming what I've been telling them."

"She was a big hit with the kids. She was able to communicate with them very well," Cross said.

Sgarlata, a graduate of George Mason University, is a national spokeswoman for i-SAFE and the state director of Bully Police USA, an antibullying organization. During her visit to Community School, she reinforced some of the online safety tips Cross taught in her classes, such as keeping personal information private and how to handle harassing e-mails.

Sgarlata also told the children to tell an adult about cases of bullying instead of hiding it and that online buddies still are strangers.

Messages about Internet safety also are important for parents, Cross said. Some parents say their children know more about the Internet than they do, Cross said. "It just sends a chill down my back when I hear that."

Community School talked to its parents about Internet safety on Wednesday. I-SAFE also has free online resources for parents.

More information about online safety and cyber bullying is available online at www.isafe.org.