FCCLA teams head to state
By Melinda L. Lucas
A total of 25 Albany FCCLA members will compete in the FCCLA State Conference in Dallas this weekend, including all three parliamentary procedure teams plus a two-person team, all of whom qualified for state after placing in the regional conference held last month.
The Level 2 parliamentary procedure team took first in its division at regionals. The all-freshman group consists of Finlee Brown (president), Charlee Patterson, Kamryn Graham, Charli Trail, Carsyn Clegg, Aiden Vickers, Jakobi Roberson, and Colter Edgar. Competing at the Level 3 (junior high) division, the group placed first at the regional conference two years in a row and qualified for state twice.
Albany’s other Level 2 team, which is made up of all sophomores, was second at the regional event. Team members are president Hattie Braly, Braeten Street, Connor Smith, Jack Nail, Wesley Gleitz, Adrian Wren, and Zayne Lefevre. This group has advanced to the state contest three consecutive years.
Also competing at the state conference is the Level 1 (junior high) parliamentary procedure team, which won first in its division at regional. The group consists of Hailey Gleitz, who acts as president of the group, along with Trevor Bellah, Blake Britting, Keeley Britting, Hattie Fikes, Avery Gleitz, Kynlee Milligan, and Haiden Niell, all eighth graders.
A Level 3 Chapter in Review Portfolio will be presented by seniors Averie Burns and Ann Davis.
The contestants will now compete to be among the top two places in the state, which would qualify them for the national conference in Orlando, Florida July 5-9.
“It’s exciting to see our chapter growing, with more event competitors each year,” FCCLA sponsor Jennifer Marshall said. “Managing three parliamentary procedure teams with 23 students has been overwhelming at times, but as the year has progressed, the students have really stepped up and taken ownership of their teams.”
She commented that all the students have to balance FCCLA with their other spring commitments and have to make the most of their practice time.
“It’s clear they’re working hard and are ready to represent Albany ISD well at the state conference,” Marshall said.
The portfolio project has also continued to evolve, according to the sponsor.
“Averie and Ann are consistently adding new information and making adjustments to ensure it’s a thorough representation of our chapter and the work we do,” Marshall said.
