Clayton Ridge School District FCCLA students compete on national stage
Clayton Ridge FCCLA members Alyssa Sadewasser, Claire Brandt, Lilly Meana, Hailey Gaul and Ella Oberbreckling stand with their advisor, Angela Williams, next to the FCCLA’s unofficial mascot, Rosie the Llama. (Submitted photo)
By Steve Van Kooten
Five students from Clayton Ridge’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) chapter competed at the National Leadership Conference this past July.
Alyssa Sadewasser, Claire Brandt, Lilly Meana, Hailey Gaul and Ella Oberbreckling represented the school district in five different categories at the event, which took place in Orlando, Fla. More than 10,000 FCCLA members from across the country attended.
To compete at the national level, they had to place either first or second place in Students Taking Action with Recognition (STAR) events at the state leadership conference, which was held this past April.
STAR events are competitive categories in which the participants apply skills learned through family and consumer science courses to real-life projects.
“Before reaching that stage, students independently developed their projects under the guidance of their FCCLA Chapter Adviser (myself) and submitted them according to a detailed rubric,” wrote Clayton Ridge FCCLA advisor Angela Williams. “Each student chose an event that aligned with their interests and completed a comprehensive project that was evaluated by a panel of judges.”
• Alyssa Sadewasser developed a nutrition plan for a high school wrestler and tracked the results based on athletic performance. She ranked in the top 20 participants in the Sports Nutrition category.
• Claire Brandt repurposed used Bubbl’r cans into a new product and designed a marketing campaign targeted toward a specific audience. She obtained a bronze ranking in the Repurpose and Redesign category.
• Lilly Meana participated in leadership development, completing surveys and self-assessments and compiling a portfolio of her progress. She attained a silver ranking in the Leadership category.
• Hailey Gaul researched land degradation in Iowa’s Driftless Region, creating educational materials to promote awareness and public outreach. She attained a silver ranking in the Sustainability Challenge.
• Ella Oberbreckling designed and taught water safety for preschool children and provided families with resources to utilize at home. She ranked in the top 20 of the Focus on Children category.
According to Williams, competitions allow students to try out different interests and use what they’ve learned in a way that connects with the world outside of school and prepares them for their lives after high school.
“They develop key skills, like leadership, communication, organization, professionalism and time management,” wrote Williams. “These skills will benefit them in any future path, whether in college, careers or community leadership.”
The purpose of the FCCLA is to “promote personal growth and leadership development through family consumer science education.”
Williams said this is the chapter’s first time competing at nationals, and it was an “incredible experience” for Clayton Ridge’s students. “Beyond presenting their project, students attended leadership breakout sessions, networked at the Expo and heard from inspiring keynote speaker Alton White, who spoke on resilience.”
“One of my favorite parts of the experience is seeing how these projects often help students shape their futures. Some walk away with more certainty about a career path, while others realize through the process what isn’t the right fit for them. Both of these outcomes are valuable,” she added.
The Clayton Ridge FCCLA includes 25 active members. Students are eligible to join the chapter if they have completed a semester of a family and consumer science course or are currently enrolled in one.
