FCCLA teams to compete at natonal conference

By Donnie A. Lucas

Several members of the local FCCLA chapter are advancing to the National conference in Denver on July 1-7, including several of the same members who won the national championship for parliamentary procedure last year in San Diego.

The Level 2 Parliamentary Procedure team includes five students who competed on the Level I (junior high) team that won at last year’s national conference.

As ninth graders, the group moved up to compete in the Level 2 division (grades 9-10), again winning first at the state conference in March to qualify for the national competition. Only the top two teams from each state advance.

Members of the team include Mimi Ivy – president, Caroline Chapman – secretary, Tristan Howe– treasurer,  and members Madison Parrott and Woods Peterson. New to the group this year are Cade Fairchild and Jaxson Street.

The group will compete on Monday, July 3 in Denver.

“The judges at the state conference said that the Level 2 team was a finely tuned machine,” FCCLA sponsor Jennifer Marshall said. “They hit every point on the scoring rubric.”

She added that the group has been practicing once a week to prepare for the national meet and is continuing to add to their skill level.

“The interesting thing about Parliamentary Procedure is that there is so much to keep learning,” she said. “You can always find ways to improve your meeting.”

The team conducts a meeting based on an agenda they are given just prior to competing.

Two other FCCLA members, Luke Marshall and Houston Heatly, both juniors last year, will also attend the national conference to present their video in the Digital Stories for Change category. Their entry was picked as one of the top 15 online entries in the nation, earning a spot to compete for the national title.

“Luke and Houston have been updating their video to make improvements noted by the judges at state,” Jennifer Marshall said. “Their entry this year addresses the amount of screen time people spend on electronic devices and the possible negative effects.”

Last year as sophomores, Marshall and Heatly won second place at the national convention with a Digital Story for Change entry about mental health among students.

The sponsor said that local individuals and businesses have again been generous in their support of the FCCLA qualifiers, with donations exceeding $25,000 in order to finance the trip.

“We couldn’t go to the national conference without the support of the community,” she said.

The Level 1 eighth grade Parliamentary Procedure Team also took first place at the state contest in March, but is not making the trip due to finances and other considerations.  That team included Hattie Jo Braly – president, Tatum Grady – secretary, Colter Edgar – treasurer, and members Jack Nail, Wesley Gleitz, Zayne LeFevre, Braeten Street, and Connor Smith.

“This is such a great skill for students to learn, because they can use it throughout their lives serving on boards and committees,” Marshall said.

Marshall said that a transportation and event package for the group while in Denver includes visiting The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs and the Air Force Academy, and a tour of Denver. The group will also attend a dinner for all Texas members at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum.