Colorado Springs School District 11 Students Participate In National FCCLA Leadership Conference - 08/06/21
Not even a global pandemic can stop Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) members from making a difference in their families, careers, and communities. More than 4,500 members, advisers, and supporters from across the country participated in FCCLA’s first-ever Hybrid National Leadership Conference. Whether attending virtually or in-person, FCCLA challenged all conference attendees to grow “Beyond Measure” through career exploration, virtual networking,
Although this school year looked a bit different, FCCLA members perseverance, tenacity, and resilience shined through as students nationwide participated in Student Taking Action with Recognition (STAR) Event projects. The top STAR Event competitors from each state, advanced to compete virtually at the 2021 Hybrid National Leadership Conference, June 27-July 2 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Colorado FCCLA had fewer teams compete this year as a result of the format for competitions being virtual, but those that competed found projects to make a difference in their school and community.
STAR Events are Competitive Events in which members are recognized for their proficiency and achievement in chapter and individual projects, leadership skills, and career preparation. STAR Events allow student to compete individually or as a team. There are more than 30 STAR Events students can choose to compete in, all which recognize participants who demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities to actively identify an issue concerning families, careers, or communities, research the topic, and develop and implement a project to advocate for positive change.
Both youth and adults work together in managing the events and serving as evaluators of the participants. STAR Events aim to support student development of knowledge and skills by enhancing the classroom experience and Career Pathway initiatives by equipping students with employable skills and industry insights needed to thrive in the 21st century.
In order to advance to compete on the national level in a STAR Event, members first compete at the state level. Holmes FCCLAhad four teams compete this year. Lisette Rodriguez a middle school student competed in Career Investigation and earned a silver. The brother duo of Phillip “Maverick” and Bryce McDonald earned a silver in Food Innovations in which they revamped a 1920’s cookie recipe into a cookie mix to could be marketed. Lillie Rice and Bailey Wiebe earned a gold in Chapter Service Project, illustrating the Artisan Bread Project that taught families how to prepare yeast bread. Bennett Sufak earned a third place and bronze medal with his Holmes FCCLA Website design. All were recognized for their accomplishments at FCCLA’s 2021 Hybrid National Leadership Conference.
Odyssey FCCLA had two national participants. Brithany Garces Zermeno earned a silver in Early Childhood Education and Vanessa Lenn earned a gold in Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation.
Brithany Garces Zermeno is a Future Educator Pathway student and Odyssey - ECCO FCCLA Chapter President. As an Early Childhood Education student, she applied her knowledge of child growth and development, age-appropriate practices, and lesson planning skills to develop a math lesson for children ages (3-5 years old) supporting the theme of "Community Helpers". She also created an electronic portfolio to demonstrate her knowledge and skills gained from the Early Childhood Education class and her 60-hour internship in a kindergarten classroom at Queen Palmer Elementary School. Brithany earned a gold medal and first place in the national STAR Event - Early Childhood Education.
Vanessa Lenn is a Hospitality Pathway student. As a ProStart Business & Economics student she applied entrepreneurship skills to create a business proposal for a food truck. Her business plan included a mission statement, menu, marketing, SWOT analysis, and a website. In addition to earning a gold medal for her project and presentation, Vanessa also placed 2nd in the nation! The top three participants in each event are recognized by National FCCLA with a plaque. This was Odyssey FCCLA’s first top-three placing for the Hospitality Pathway.