Holyoke FCCLA members at the 2018 state leadership conference are pictured from left, front row, Evelyn Espinoza, Ashlyn Marcum, Anna Jelden, LorenJo Oberle, Makenzie Martin, Lauren Bergner and Kyra Loutensock; and back row, adviser Karen Ortner, Brenna Gatton, Drew Stewart, Marcos Lopez, Savannah Burris and Tyler Lamm. Not pictured is Dominique Penzing.
HHS qualifies 8 for nationals at FCCLA State Leadership Conference
Three FCCLA teams totaling eight students qualified for the FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, June 29-July 2 at the FCCLA State Leadership Conference held at the Denver Marriott Tech Center April 5-7. Six Holyoke teams competed in six different STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) events. In addition to the top three teams, two other teams won silver medals, while another earned bronze medal status.
National qualifiers are Kyra Loutensock, tied for first, chapter service project display-senior; Lauren Bergner, Savannah Burris and Makenzie Martin, first, chapter in review portfolio-senior; and Anna Jelden, Tyler Lamm, Dominique Penzing and Drew Stewart, first, parliamentary procedure-senior.
Silver medals were won by Brenna Gatton, fashion construction-junior; and Ashlyn Marcum, LorenJo Oberle and Evelyn Espinoza, focus on children-junior. Winning a bronze was Marcos Lopez, environmental ambassador-occupational.
The theme of the conference was “The Everlasting Tale” with the tagline “Inspire, Live, Further.” The keynote speaker, Jessie Funk, was a highlight for the conference attendees. Her main message, delivered in a highly energized, humorous and at times musical presentation, focused on members’ ability to make choices for themselves, seeking healthy relationships and recognizing toxic ones. Members also attended empowering workshops focusing on leadership development and rising above one’s circumstances, featuring speakers A’ric Jacson and David Edward Garcia.
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