Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) from Western Wayne High School learned leadership skills, organizational skills, and project ideas while attending the FCCLA Regional Leadership Meeting on October 25th at Reading Area Community College.
Members attended workshops on Leadership, Statewide Initiatives, Publicizing your Chapter, Safety, Family Consumer Sciences related topics, and State Officer Candidacy. During the meeting, local chapter members also learned about the PA FCCLA outreach project and the membership campaign.
Club advisor Lori Lucchesi, FCS Teacher, Western Wayne High School, explained how this is an exciting year for her students.
“We have built our club membership up this year,” Lucchesi explained. “The students felt excited to start the year off at the Regional Leadership Meeting and are now working on projects for the FCCLA State Leadership Conference in the spring.”
Western Wayne members expressed enthusiasm toward returning to their chapter with great ideas and lots of motivation for a successful year.
Freshman, Ashley Small Bermudez learned about FCCLA programs and competitions and stated, “The workshop taught me about a useful planning process that will help me organize community events and achieve my future career plans.”
Sophomore Katarina Wood explained, “I attended an FCCLA work session that gave me key strategies to balance my extracurricular and academic skills.”
Another sophomore Mackenzie Sheatler found it very interesting to learn about the safety of children at the conference.
“I like learning about how kids interact and child development,” MacKenzie, who aspires to be a social worker, explained.
Sinclaire Ogof, a senior and vice president of membership for Western Wayne, reported that “Twenty seven students attended the FCCLA Regional Leadership Meeting and our Western Wayne Chapter’s membership has tripled this year, totaling 52 students!”
All of Western Wayne’s FCCLA members are excited to work with this club throughout the year and some have already begun their projects for the State Leadership Conference to be held in the spring at Penn State Main Campus.
Sinaea Buford, FCCLA president who aspires to major in forensic science and minor in criminal justice, is working with fellow FCCLA member Sadie Nahman on a project for the category of event management for the State Leadership Conference.
The girls are working to plan a senior citizen prom for the local community. They wish to work with Wayne Woodlands Manor and Laurel Place on the event.
“I really like to work with the elderly,” Sinaea, who has volunteered at Golden Way Personal Care Home in Waymart, explained. “I like to make them happy by listening to them and making them feel like they are at home when they talk to me.”
Fellow FCCLA member Shailyn Pugh said she also hopes to do a service-based project for FCCLA this year.
“I like helping in the community and doing service projects,” Shailyn, who aspires to be a pharmaceutical technician, said.
Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America is a dynamic and effective national student organization that helps young men and women become leaders and addresses important personal, family, work, and societal issues through Family & Consumer Sciences Education and Related Occupations. FCCLA is unique among youth organizations because its programs are planned and run by members. It is the only national in-school organization with the family as its central focus. Participation in national programs and chapter activities helps members become strong leaders in their families, careers, and communities.
