Seven Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students earned gold medals, the highest level of national recognition, at the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) 2012 National Leadership Conference held recently in Orlando.
Winners of gold medals were:
*Kailyn Hornbeck of Madison High School in Career Investigation STAR Event. This event recognizes participants for their ability to perform self-assessments, research and explore a career, set goals, create a plan for achieving their goals, and describe the relationship of Family and Consumer Sciences coursework to the selected career.
*Mark Bobalek, Johanna Huffman, and Michelle Prisbe of Madison High School in Food Innovations STAR Event. This event recognizes participants who demonstrate knowledge of the basic concepts of food product development by creating an original prototype formula, testing the product through focus groups, and developing a marketing strategy.
*Kathryn Hornbeck of Madison High School in Job Interview STAR Event. This event recognizes participants who use Family and Consumer Sciences and/or a related occupation’s skills to develop a portfolio, participate in an interview, and communicate a personal understanding of job requirements.
*Emma Rosen of Madison High School in National Programs in Action STAR Event. This event recognizes participants who explain how the planning process was used to plan and implement a national program project.
*Catherine Bobalek of Madison High School in Virtual Poster Online STAR Event. This event recognizes participants who demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and ability to publish a virtual, interactive digital poster related to one of the three Student Body units: Eat Right, Be Fit, and Make Healthy Choices.
*Alec Ostapovicz of Madison High School earned first place in the nation in the Impromptu Speaking Skill Demonstration Event, the highest level of recognition for this event. Participants are recognized for their ability to address a topic relating to FCCLA and Family and Consumer Sciences without prior preparation while maintaining poise, self-confidence, logical organization of point, and conversational speaking.
*Shahara Simmons of Mount Vernon High School earned a bronze medal in Fashion Construction STAR Event. This event recognizes participants who apply fashion construction skills learned in Family and Consumer Sciences courses to create a display using samples of their skills.
More than 7,500 members, advisors, alumni, and guests from across the nation attended the leadership conference. Over 3,900 students advanced from the local, regional, and state level to compete for national top honors in 35 Family and Consumer Sciences related FCCLA Competitive Events.