The FCCLA club went to Greensboro, North Carolina, for a Student Leadership Conference on Mar. 31 through April 2, 2025. During the conference, students placed first and second in multiple events, as well as qualifying for nationals in Orlando, Florida in July of this year. This is a huge accomplishment and shows the students’ hard work and dedication towards their events and to the FCCLA club.
“I feel like the team all got the work on stepping out of their comfort zone. It’s really scary competing, because you spend so long preparing your project and put so much effort into it,” said junior Brynn Ellis.
Ellis did a book study and self-reflection for the conference and won first place and a gold medal. The nationals competition will be the second time Ellis has gone to nationals with FCCLA, and she is excited to continue her work with the club.
The conference highlighted many strengths among the student body. Their ability to think outside the box, be creative, and work as a team is prominent in their work. The students are required to interact with many people to pitch their ideas and make a solid plan for their projects to present to the judges. But preparing the projects is only half the battle. There are also challenges that can come about when making these projects.
“A big challenge I faced the night before competing was messing up my words while doing my practice presentation, as well as being over time. I only had a ten minute time limit, but it all worked out the next day,” said junior Sophia Bolotnova.
Bolotnova researched a career in dentistry, as well as shadowing a dentist in the area for her project in the Career Investigation category. She won first place overall and is a national qualifier.
The FCCLA students also have a host of interesting project presentations, combining creativity and reality into a fun atmosphere. Junior Grace Meaney, for example, designed an entire floor plan to scale with multiple elements and drawings for a Harry Potter themed AirBnB.
“It’s been a stressful year for everyone, and these projects are a lot of work, but we got it done and the team did great with their presentations. I’m really proud of them,” Ellis said.
Since the conference, FCCLA students are now preparing for their national competition. Fundraisers are being organized to raise money to send five students to Orlando, Florida, to represent FVHS at this competition where they will be able to interact with competitors and students from across the country and grow their skills as student leaders.
