Pendleton Students awarded at State Leadership Conference

By Hannah Thomas

Pendleton County Family Career Community Leaders of America, previously Future Homemakers of America, traveled to Louisville March 26 to 29 for the State Leadership Conference.

A total of 20 Pendleton County High School students and 10 Sharp Middle School students attended.

Eleven students competed in S.T.A.R. — Students Taking Action with Recognition — competitions in which competitors demonstrate leadership and career skills.

Many of the events focus on community service, family consumer science-related career preparation and general life skills.

Participants present their projects to a panel of judges at the regional level and can advance to compete at the state and even national level.

One group — Leyah Hyden, Lily Rice and Hailey Campbell — created a Care Closet for any students in the high school with needs to be met.

“I learned from my STAR event that communication is key when working on a project together, but I also learned to stay passionate and motivated in order to see the results of the care closet in our school,” Hyden said.

Nine students were recognized for their work on Power of One.

This individual program is a yearly goal setting plan focusing on personal growth.

Members reflect on the goals they set in categories: “A Better You,” “Family Ties,” “Working on Working,” “Take the Lead” and “Speak out for FCCLA” throughout the year.

If their Power of One is approved, they are recognized at the State Conference.

Payton Mastin, recognized for her Power of One at the state level, said, “Power of One taught me it’s OK to not know everything. I’ve grown and matured as a person due to Power of One.

“Having to write out what I struggle with and how I fix it definitely makes me think about the future.”

One Pendleton County student, Hannah Thomas, also ran for and received a state officer position for the 2024-25 school year as vice president of Individual Programs.

Along with general sessions, meetings and an awards banquet, all members also had the opportunity to attend educational sessions.

Cadence Cogswell said, “I learned to work with others to get to a final goal.

“I feel as if the team work aspect will help build connections between not just our officer team but also PC FCCLA as a whole allowing us to have more interactions with each other.”

Pendleton County FCCLA members have already began sharing their new leadership skills with their schools, and said they are excited to improve and grow.