Kentucky students were among some of the top finishers at the recent 2014 Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas. FCCLA is a national student organization that helps young men and women become leaders and address important personal, family, work, and societal issues through Family and Consumer Sciences education.

FCCLA offers more than 30 Family and Consumer Sciences competitive events, also known as STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) events. Each is designed to help members develop specific lifetime skills in character development, creative and critical thinking, interpersonal communication, practical knowledge and career preparation.

Members compete at the district and state levels in order to qualify for the national conference, which is based on the student-originated theme “SOAR.” Out of Kentucky’s 213 delegates to the national conference, 120 took part in STAR event competitions.

“We are very proud of our students and advisers,” said Commissioner Terry Holliday. “These competitive events provide our students the opportunity to showcase their college- and career-ready knowledge, skills and abilities, which will serve them well in life after high school.”

Kentucky students brought home a total of 52 Gold, 48 Silver, and 21 Bronze ratings, among them Carrie Elliott from Washington Co. who received a gold rating for recruiting more than 50 FCCLA members. In addition to the student winners, the following Kentucky educators received awards:

• Spirit of Advising Award — Debbie Isaacs Campbell Co.

• Master Adviser Award — Kelly Dickson, Monroe Co. and Chrissy Daigle, Warren Co.

• Distinguished Service Award – Leslie Watkins, a retired teacher from Reidland High School (McCracken Co.) who served as the past chair of the national FCCLA Advisory Board

Kentucky FCCLA also received recognition for an increase in membership. More than 4,200 STAR Event participants competed at the national level this year – the largest number of competitors at any National STAR Events competition. FCCLA has 200,000 members and more than 5,500 chapters from 49 state associations, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

For a full list of award winners click here.