CONTACT: JIM MORRIS |
Vol. 43, No. 20
March 26, 2009
FCCLA Conference Focuses on Boosting Leadership Skills
State Conference Begins Sunday
Nearly 2,000 high school students will gather in Columbia this weekend to build family and community leadership skills. Titled “Level Up Your Leadership,” the annual conference is planned and conducted by student members of Missouri Family, Career and Community Leaders of America.
The three-day conference (March 28-31) will be held at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center.
Missouri FCCLA leadership events help student members develop skills for life: planning, goal setting, problem solving, decision making, and interpersonal communication – all necessary in the workplace and in the home. FCCLA chapters are an integral part of the family and consumer sciences education programs in middle and high schools across the state.
“These economic times are providing important lessons in the value of ‘life skills.’ Through family and consumer sciences courses, FCCLA students learn how to manage financial resources, achieve a healthy lifestyle, prepare for careers and postsecondary education, make wise consumer decisions, resolve conflicts and maintain quality relationships,” said Christine Hollingsworth, state FCCLA advisor with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Family and consumer sciences classes also provide students with opportunities to apply and reinforce what they learn in their core classes, such as math, science and English, she said.
The conference will feature speakers and workshops on topics such as preparing for college and careers, recycling and the environment, traffic and personal safety, personal development, and technology. Students also will be raising money to contribute to the American Cancer Society. Since 2002, more than $30,000 has been raised by Missouri FCCLA chapters and donated directly to the American Cancer Society offices in Missouri. Thousands more have been contributed directly by chapters through the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life events.
In addition to extensive leadership training, honors and recognition, more than 700 students will participate in 30 competitive events, including entrepreneurship, culinary arts, job interviews, parliamentary procedure, early childhood, chapter service projects, and many others. Winners will advance to compete at the national level.
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FCCLA is a nonprofit national organization for young men and women in family and consumer sciences education in public and private schools through grade 12. Chartered in 1946, Missouri FCCLA has nearly 14,000 members in 400 local chapters, making it the fourth-largest FCCLA state association.
For more information, contact: Dr. Cynthia Arendt or Christine Hollingsworth, Family and Consumer Sciences Education, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Jefferson City (573-751-2644).