By Stephanie Bunker

Moapa Valley Progress

The students in MVHS FCCLA Chapter visit Disneyworld in Florida during a trip last week to attend the Nationals FCCLA Conference.

A group of students attended the Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Nationals Competition and Conference in Florida last week. Hannah Hendrix, Tabitha Witsken, Brittany Harding, Erin Whipple, and Naomi Hubert accompanied by MVHS Foods Teacher Lori Terril and parent Pam Hendrix attended the conference.

The students worked hard over the last few months to earn money for the trip. It cost $1700 for each person to go. The students did things like selling home-baked cinnamon rolls, cleaning houses, and working at the fair to raise the funds.

Most of the students attended workshops at the conference. “It’s a great opportunity for leadership service,” said Terril. “They have classes on learning disabilities, and fashion from your closet, as well as community service programs.”

Beauty 101 was one of the students’ favorite classes. It taught about being kind to others, and taught that everyone is beautiful.

MVHS Foods Teacher Lori Terril and student Brittany Harding at the Nationals FCCLA Conference in Florida.

Whipple and Harding, who were in the 2012 graduating class, attended a class that was perfect for them. It was a College Preparation class. They told college secrets that no one tells you. Both Whipple and Harding will be starting college in the fall.

Hannah Hendrix was elected as FCCLA State Officer prior to the conference. Because she was a state officer she served on a committee to choose the National Executive Council for the upcoming school year. Hendrix got to watch each of the candidates give a speech and do an interview. The candidates also participated in a team building activity.

Hendrix helped narrow it to 20 candidates who then gave their speech again in a finals round. Each of the voting delegates talked to members of their state and then voted on behalf of them.

Next year Hendrix plans on running for the National Executive Council. “It was good for me to go and see the process,” she said. “It will help me next year when I run.”

Hendrix attended a Capitol Leadership meeting where they discussed fundraising for their State Senators. She also learned about the Soles 4 Souls program. 20,000 pairs of shoes had been donated and distributed amongst thrift stores across the nation.

“Because of the success they had this year, they will be continuing it next year,” Hendrix said.

During the conference there was an activity called Pin Trading. Delegates to the conference, coming from all over the country each brought commemorative pins representative of their own state. Throughout the conference the delegates would trade pins with one another in hopes of getting a pin from each state. This was a way for people to strike up a conversation and get to know each other.

“People from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were there,” said Hendrix. “I got to trade pins with them.”

“This is a great program,” said Terril of the FCCLA. “It’s the only student-run organization that promotes the family.”