Justin Timberlake presents Smithtown teen with 'HALO' award

Friday night won't be just any night for Leah Stoltz of Smithtown - she'll host a fundraiser at Accompsett Middle School, where she'll watch herself on TV as she's presented a "HALO" award by Justin Timberlake. That will cap off the amazing fall Stoltz had - it began in September when celeb DJ Nick Cannon sneaked into her Smithtown High School West pep rally to call her out in front of the school.

>>Watch a video of Nick Cannon at Stoltz's Smithtown High School pep rally

THINKING OF OTHERS

He honored the 17-year-old senior for starting a support group called the Curvy Girls for teenagers who, like her, have scoliosis. Stoltz was diagnosed at age 11 with curvature of the spine. For two years, she wore a corset-shaped hard plastic shell brace basically around the clock, and then she had surgery that's left her with two titanium rods and 22 screws in her back.

"I'm scared I'm going to wake up tomorrow, and this won't be real," Stoltz said the day of the pep rally. But it was - and the fun continued in October, when Nickelodeon whisked Stoltz to a surprise destination: Las Vegas. There, she was feted by Timberlake at his Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open golf tournament, and then flown back again the next weekend to see Timberlake in concert with Taylor Swift and Alicia Keys. "Leah uses her obstacle to help other people; she's like my hero," Timberlake will say on the show.

>>Watch video of Justin Timberlake talking about Leah Stoltz's 'HALO' award

A FORMAL AFFAIR

On Dec. 9, Stoltz is putting on a party dress and heading to Washington, D.C., to attend the exclusive premiere of the first TeenNick "HALO" Awards - HALO stands for Helping and Leading Others. She is one of four teens nationwide featured in the hourlong show, each passed the baton-shaped award by a different celebrity; the others are LeBron James, Keys and Hayden Panettiere.

"It's such a simple thing I did. I got a couple of girls together once a month, and we talk," Stoltz said. She put up posters in local doctors' offices and hosted the meetings every first Sunday of the month at her home. The parents ended up staying, meeting with Leah's mom and dad, Robin and Michael, in their living room while the girls gathered in the den. "They talk about medical, we talk about social," Stoltz said.

The girls discuss how they explain the brace to friends; tips like getting extra sets of textbooks so they don't have to carry a heavy load home each day and how to find clothes that won't rip when pulled over the brace. And they discuss their frustrations.

"It comes at a cruel time for girls. Adolescence," said Michael Stoltz, who is a social worker. "When they have the most self-consciousness about their bodies."

Leah agreed. "In middle school, the slightest problem seems like the end of the world. I'm not the only girl who has thrown the brace down the stairs out of anger and frustration."

THINKING NATIONAL

Leah and the Curvy Girls are throwing Friday night's fundraiser to give them the ability to replicate the program across the country. The $5-a-person fee includes finger foods. The group also is selling necklaces for $20 each with a curve meant to look like a spine and words such as "inspire," "hope" and "believe" on them.

Another benefit came of the HALO experience for Stoltz: "I have my college essay now."

HALO AWARDS ON CABLE

The TeenNick HALO Awards premieres at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 on TeenNick, followed by an encore presentation at 9 p.m. on Nick at Nite. The party at Accompsett Middle School, 660 Meadow Rd. in Smithtown, begins at 6:30 p.m. Attendees can meet Leah and the Curvy Girls, with the show airing at 8p.m. To purchase a Curvy Girls fundraising necklace, visit http://groups.google.com/group /cgssg.

>>Watch a video of Nick Cannon at Stoltz's Smithtown High School pep rally

>>Watch video of Justin Timberlake talking about Leah Stoltz's 'HALO' award