Montgomery, Ala. – This summer, more than 120 of Alabama’s top students and their teachers traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to participate in exciting national competitions and advanced leadership workshops at the 2009 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) National Leadership Conference, July 12-16.
“This year we had over 80 students representing our state in FCCLA’s exciting Students Taking Action with Recognition (STAR) competitions,” says State FCCLA Adviser, Jennifer Adams. “This event was such an exciting opportunity for our students. They competed for national gold, silver, and bronze medals, received great career advice from top business professionals, and had a chance to develop new friendships by networking with other students from across the country.”
FCCLA is a national, non-profit organization devoted to preparing family and consumer sciences students for leadership and career success. This organization has approximately 220,000 members nationwide. Alabama has more than 8,500 members.
In total, there were 25 different national STAR Event competition categories this year. To be eligible to compete nationally, students had to first win at the state level. Nearly 2,500 students from across the nation advanced to the national competition.
This year, Alabama’s FCCLA students won 16 gold, 14 silver, and 13 national bronze medals. Alabama’s national medal winners are:
- Addison High School – Jayla Robinson (Silver)
- Austin High School – Allison Bartlett (Bronze); Molly Behan (Gold); MacKenzie Grover (Gold)
- Bob Jones High School – Amber Hersh (Silver); Anna Zolynsky (Bronze)
- Central Baldwin Middle School – Tasha Johnson (Bronze); Caitlyn Trafton (Bronze); Breanna Reed (Silver); Danielle Wagner (Silver)
- Cotaco School – Maggie Moore (Gold)
- Enterprise High School – Ashley Starling (Silver)
- Fairview High School – Mikayla Hadley (Gold); Calan Talley (Bronze); Jacy Foust (Gold)
- Florence High School – Jessica Armistead (Bronze); Angie Martinez (Gold); Alexandrea Garza (Gold)
- Horseshoe Bend High School – Hannah Traylor (Bronze); Stephanie Butler (Gold); Joanie Railey (Gold)
- Limestone County High School – Sholanda Coleman (Bronze); Jocelyn Nash (Bronze); Maricruz Romero (Bronze)
- Malachi Wilkerson Middle School – Brittany Williams (Bronze); Aleigha Davis (Bronze)
- Meek High School – Katie Mauldin (Silver); Amber Peek (Silver)
- Murphy High School – Gloria Sherer (Bronze); Kiah Owens (Bronze)
- New Brockton High School – Faith Caylor (Silver); Alyson McAnear (Silver); Olivia Sasser (Silver); Savanna Ellis (Silver)
- Oak Mountain High School – Megan Bryant (Gold)
- Talladega Career and Technical Center – Taylor Edwards (Silver); Tushun Calhoun (Silver)
- Wenonah High School – Raynard King (Gold); Dessie Chandler (Gold); Whitney Walker (Gold); Kaitlyn McFarland (Gold)
- Woodland High School – Ryan Ledbetter (Silver); Brianna Cofield (Gold); Jasie Gilley (Gold)
Alabama’s career and technical education (CTE) programs offer students opportunities to participate in seven different student organizations including FCCLA. Currently, one out of every two high school students in Alabama participates in CTE programs.
Since its founding in 1945, the national FCCLA organization has had more than 10 million student members. To learn more about FCCLA or any of the other educational opportunities offered by Alabama’s CTE programs, contact FCCLA State Adviser, Jennifer Adams, at (334) 242-9113 or jadams@alsde.edu.