Students from Howell High School’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) chapter recently attended and competed at the Michigan FCCLA State Leadership Conference. During the conference, students participated in leadership sessions and workshops and connected with peers, professional organizations and post-secondary institutions. Both the Howell chapter and individual students earned honors at the event.
The Howell chapter was named an Outstanding Chapter for the third consecutive year, earned first place in the state for community service hours, and was honored for its membership growth. The chapter also earned honors in two national programs, claiming first place in the National Families First Project and second place in the Stand Up program.
In the STAR Competitive Events, five teams from Howell competed in four categories, with all teams qualifying for the national competition. Lucy Snow and Amelia Schultz both earned gold medals and the top two scores in the Teaching Strategies category. Andy Brinker earned a gold medal and the highest score in the Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation category. In the Repurpose and Redesign category, Alyssa Martin and Sophia Cargill earned a silver medal, which was the highest award given in that category. Mary Cheresko earned third place and a silver medal in the Focus on Children category. Additionally, Cheresko earned first place in the Community Service Awards for the most individual community service hours in the state, and Andy Brinker earned third place.
“STAR Events give students the opportunity to take what they learn in Family and Consumer Sciences classes and apply it to real-world projects,” said Leah Brinker, Howell High School FCCLA advisor. “Students present their work to judges, which helps them build leadership, communication and career skills. We are very proud of the hard work and dedication our students put into their projects and presentations.”
The National FCCLA National Leadership Conference will be held July 6-10 in Washington, D.C.
