FCCLA girls strike it rich
All 29 FCCLA members competing in 18 different events earned "gold" at the Southwest Area Region STAR Event competition last Jan. 29 in Tyler.
"One hundred percent of our members achieved a gold rating," said LeaAnne Bot, Family and Consumer Sciences instructor and FCCLA Advisor. "I'm so proud of all the great work these students have done."
These 18 teams, which can be an individual or a group, advance to the FCCLA STAR State Convention in late March at Doubletree Hotel in Bloomington. Seniors Natalie Bot and Tara Thooft competed in the Interior Design category in which they partnered to redesign a mid-century modern home into a cosmedi spa.
Seniors Morgan Hennen and Katherine Konold chose the Focus on Children category and developed a lesson for elementary school students to show how a focus word can help promote healthy social and emotional development.
Cecilia Rabaey and Madison Sorensen, both seniors, teamed up in the Food Innovations category. They developed a recipe for a plant-based entrée. They conducted taste tests to reach the final product which was a stuffed pepper.
Molly Krog, a senior, was in Interpersonal Communication. She conducted research and made a presentation on effective interpersonal communication with special populations.
Rachel Vlaminck, a senior, and Abby Hennen, a junior, chose Professional Presentation for their category, researched and gave a presentation on the importance of vaccinating children.
McKenzie Monnet, a junior, developed eating and hydration plans for student athletes for both competition and non-competition days for her Sports Nutrition project.
Sophomore Teagan Welsh competed in the Career Investigation category. She researched and job-shadowed the profession and career opportunities of a Social Worker.
Sophomore teammates Norah Fadness and Morgan Wersal were in Professional Presentation. They researched and gave a presentation on the opioid crisis and its devastating effect on families.
Teagan Welsh and Summer Hennen, both sophomores, were also in Professional Presentation. They researched and gave a presentation on starting a home-based business that sells handcrafted holiday gift items.
Freshman Kate Hennen, in the Interior Design category, also redesigned a mid-century home into a cosmedi spa.
Megan Krog, a freshman, researched and gave a presentation on how families can overcome adversity for her Professional Presentation project.
Freshmen Reagan Bierschenk and Kaci Callens were in the Repurpose and Redesign category. They repurposed sweatshirts into drawstring backpacks.
Tara Sterzinger and McKenna Moorse, both freshmen, repurposed a television cabinet into an entryway bench for their Repurpose and Redesign project.
Freshman Lauren Badgett, also in Repurpose and Redesign, repurposed a dresser drawer into a message center.
Kaitlyn Ludwikowski and Kayla Myhre competed in the Just Like Rachael Ray Cooking Demonstration category. The freshman pair demonstrated how to make a pizza-stuffed waffle recipe aimed at college students needing easy and economical dorm-food ideas.
Eighth-graders Grace Hennen and Kylie Sterzinger were in the Community Service category. For their project, called "Tentacles for Babies", they knitted octopus toys to promote emotional development in infants. They partnered with an organization to make donations. Seventh-graders Jaelin Anderson and Hannah Fadness competed in Professional Presentation. They researched and gave a presentation on the importance of healthy eating.
Kylee Loyson and Jordyn Tolk, seventh-graders, repurposed denim jeans into notebook covers for their Repurpose and Redesign project.
Photo:First row, left to right: Kaitlyn Ludwikowski, Jaelin Anderson, Kylee Loyson, Hannah Fadness, Tara Sterzinger, Reagan Bierschenk, Kylie Sterzinger, Summer Hennen, Teagan Welsh, and Norah Fadness. Second row: Grace Hennen, Jordyn Tolk, Ella Bot, McKenna Moorse, Abby Hennen, Megan Krog, McKenzie Monnet, Kayla Myhre, Lauren Badgett, Kate Hennen, and Morgan Wersal. Back row: Tara Thooft, Cecilia Rabaey, Natalie Bot, Molly Krog, Madison Sorensen, Morgan Hennen, Rachel Vlaminck, and Katie Konold.