FCCLA has been a proud organization for 75 years. Buffalo FCCLA has been competing in region, state, and national competitions for a very long time, and for the last few years have made it to nationals after winning at state.
This year was a little different though, due to Covid-19. The Family Community Career Leaders of America decided not to hold a state conference this year because governor Abbot put a law in place saying no more than ten people in the same facility. This meant no state convention, and now national competition will take place virtually.
“I still cannot believe that we left school for spring break and will not go back this year, adviser Melissa Isaacs said. “When we started this year every wheel was turning and all we wanted to do was have as many students as possible to experience success. When the state conference was cancelled, it made me ill.”
Isaacs and co-adviser Amanda Harter took the largest number of students ever to the regional conference in Galveston in early February. All of the contestants advanced to state, but the cancellation of the state convention meant that regional scores from across Texas were compared to come up with national qualifiers.
I am so beyond proud of these kids,” Amanda Harter said. “They have worked so hard and I know they are all going to go so far.”
Three teams advanced to nationals: Sports Nutrition Level 2, Sports Nutrition Level 3, and Chapter in Review Level 3.
“I am a part of the Chapter in Review level 3 team,” junior Kaline Martinez said. “When I heard I advanced to nationals I knew it was going to be crazy but also a little concerned about this whole virus and how it was going to affect everything.”
The groups were to have competed in Washington D.C in early July. However, like many other summer activities and competitions, the national FCCLA organization recently made the decision to compete virtually. There will be no Washington trip.
“We got all of our paperwork completed and sent off for Nationals just to learn last week it will be a virtual conference,” Isaacs said. “I’m sad and upset that opportunities for success were ripped away from my students, but I have faith that we will do our best and show true Bison strength.”
