It was a successful weekend for the school’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America chapter as several members placed in the top five in their competitions and advanced to state, the first year the school has competed and advanced.

“Interior design got second and Greyson Carter was doing job interview and he got third in regional competition,” hospitality/design teacher Kristi Swinnea said. “Really, we had to make it into the top five, but it means we get to go to state and there will be 25 teams total, or there could be 25 teams total in each category and so if we spot one or two, then we would go to nationals.”

FCCLA is a national Career and Technical Student Organization that provides personal growth, leadership development, and career preparation opportunities for students in Family and Consumer Sciences education.

“I got third in my competition so I get to go to state,” senior Greyson Carter said. “I did a job interview so I went in there acting like it was a job interview. When we go to state, there’s at least 25 to 40 people competing in one category so if I get the top two I go to nationals which is in California so that’s the goal.”

Meghan Champagne and Carson Caruso competed together in Interior Design with their project, “The Crystal Water Resort” placing 2nd out of 10 teams.

“Me and my partner, Carson, had to make a floor plan for a hotel and our clients were millennials so we had to make it accustomed to their needs and also work in a beach setting area also with a hotel and things like that,” Champagne said. “It was a really good experience because it’s something I want to do when I’m older so this competition was a lot of higher level things than we would do at the CTE Center or in interior design so I think I got a lot of skills from it.”

Imajin Hunter, Emaan Baber, Savannah Hathcock and Ellie Swinnea will sit for Family and Consumer Science Assessments in various courses at the state competition as well.

“They presented, that was part of the deal,” Swinnea said. “They had a 15 minute presentation where the judges could ask them questions and then as the client, the judges would ask them questions as the client, and then they had another five minutes at the end where they had to answer questions just as the FCCLA student about the project.”