Jacksboro FCCLA advancing eight teams to state

Jacksboro FCCLA advancing eight teams to state

By Nathan Lawson

editor@jacksboronewspapers.com

Jacksboro FCCLA is advancing eight teams to the state competition April 1 in Dallas after qualifying at the regional competition in Waco recently.

The program, led by advisor Rebecca Sell, is coming off two 2019 national titles in Senior Chapter Review Display and Junior Chapter in Review Portfolio.

This year the events are broken up into level 3 and level 2 competitions, according to Sell. Level 3 competition consists of seniors and juniors while level 2 competition consists of freshmen and sophomores.

The team of Taylor Gunter and Abby Mangum placed first in regionals in Focus on Children Level 3 with their Nice is Cool project. The project provided Jacksboro Elementary Second graders with positive ways to be nice to their peers.

“With all of the different things going on in the world it is important to teach kids to be nice,” Sell said.

The team of Isabella Grisham, Ethan Langley and Libby Mosley won the regional competition in Professional Presentation Level 2. For their project, the group gathered information and presented to peers regarding drugs and drug abuse.

The team of Hailee Frie and Haley Milam also won in Chapter in Review Portfolio Level 3. The pair reviewed everything the Jacksboro FCCLA chapter has done over the past year and plans for the remainder of the school year.

The team of Savannah Thompson, Lilli Gonzales and Jenna Herd placed third in Chapter in Review Portfolio Level 2. While the team of Wendy Gurerro, Yahir Salas and Erin Jones placed fourth in Chapter in Review Level 2.

Niahmya DeSantiago and Aracely Ochoa placed third in Sustainability Challenge Level 3. The pair gathered information about U.S. Armed Forces Veterans and their necessities and presented the information to County Judge Keith Umphress. The pair hopes to get more community involvement in their movement.

Isabel Rangel, Alisa Murrafo and Cristina Bustos placed fifth in Public Policy Advocate. The group advocated for local discounts for veterans.

Sell said having Frie, Milam, Gonzales, Thompson, Herd, Mangum and Gunter return to the program after their National’s experience has helped the program.

“It helps with the recruitment,” Sell said. “When your program is successful, kids want to be a part of it. (…) The older kids that were National qualifiers last year, they’ve also stepped up to help recruit and help some of those younger kids to be successful as well.”

If teams advance to Nationals at the state competition, they will compete in July in Washington D.C.