Packing their bags for state, Selah Middle School Family, Career, and Community leaders of America (FCCLA) students definitely shined as they competed at the Region 7 STAR contest earlier this winter.
During the regional competition, all five of Selah’s participants earned a coveted Gold rating to advance to the State STAR contest to be held later this spring. STAR events allow FCCLA members to participate in projects that help their communities, enrich their knowledge, and develop their leadership skills. Students create a visual and oral campaign highlighting their project which they present to a panel of evaluators. Congratulations to the Selah Middle School participants: seventh graders, Leah Richards, Addison Blanchard, and Felicity Fernandez, and sixth grade students, Addyson Gamache and Olivia Eismann.
For her work, Leah Richards competed in the category, National Projects in Action, where she focused on the FACTS, Families Acting for Community Traffic Safety. In highlighting her project, Leah presented I’m Walking Here, a pedestrian safety lesson. The actual lesson was presented to all Selah Middle School students to teach them how to stay safe while walking, especially around local construction projects.
Showcasing her work, Addison Blanchard completed a Food Innovations project, which entailed developing a frosted sugar cookie with less than 10 grams of sugar, which she named Healthy Sweeting. As part of this process, Addison developed recipes and had her taste testers of friends and families evaluate her product until she concocted the perfect recipe. Not only was Addison’s final product a healthy and delicious treat, but she made many taste buds happy for those who tested her treats.
Competing in the Career Investigations contest category, Felicity Fernandez researched the profession of being a lawyer. From her investigation into career fields, Felicity is determined to represent the military and pursue being a JAG lawyer following high school graduation.
Crafting a line of one-of-a-kind fidget lap quilts, Addyson Gamache participated in a Community Service project where she designed, sewed and assembled a line of blankets for adults with dementia. Fellow FCCLA members also helped with the cause as they designed and sewed a quilt together. When all the quilts were complete, Addyson donated the fidget quilts to the residents at Fieldstone Memory Care for them to enjoy.
Utilizing her creativity, Olivia Eismann competed in the category of Repurpose and Redesign, where she was tasked with turning something not being used into a wanted item to sell. For her project, Olivia turned old clothes into one-of-a-kind bracelets that were sold at the middle school’s Morning Market.
Additionally, seventh grader, Max Eismann, competed by submitting an instructional video project directly to National FCCLA for an opportunity to attend the national competition in July.
Also, thank you to student volunteers Brody Lakey, Vada Longmire, Max Eismann, Addyson Lindemann and Quincey Nowlin, as they participated in the STAR event as evaluators, room consultants and contest timers. With this year’s competition being held in Selah, their efforts and hard work contributed to a successful event.
Heather Fendell, who advises the students, says all members worked very hard to complete their projects and prepare for competition. Fendell expresses her pride in her young leaders and what they accomplished.
Congratulations Selah Middle School FCCLA students shining!
