Galveston brings to mind beaches,surf shops, ice cream and Joe’s crab shack, but those were not the foremost things on the minds of FCCLA students as they traveled south for competition last weekend. Staying up till 2:00 a.m. putting the finishing touches on projects, studying for 70-question tests, practicing speeches and making sure clothes conformed to dress code rules were at the top of the list.

    Ag teacher Bobby Terry and his wife Jane, who is a teacher at the lower junior high campus, stepped in and chaperoned the students for their contest weekend since principal Tracy Gleghorn, who has stepped in as advisor of the group, had conflicting plans.

    “We had a blast and it is a honor to be able to work with the students,” Terry said. “They were an awesome group of students participating in an awesome organization. It’s amazing the amount of work these students put into their projects.”

    There was time for fun. The group made it through Houston traffic and to Galveston early enough on Thursday night that there was time for a meal at Joe’s Crab Shack, along with rushing around to find last-minute items for projects.

    “We had this waiter and he was super funny; we had a blast,” sophomore Brianna Johnston said. “The funniest part was when we took pictures with him.”

    Friday was competition day, with most of it spent at the convention center. Time between contests was spent cramming in more studying, or just trying to catch a catnap for students up late the night before.

    “I was really mad because Brittany, Miriam and I went to bed at 2:30 after working on speeches and studying, sophomore Abby Smith said. “We thought Mr. Terry said be ready at 7:00, so we woke up at 5:30 went downstairs and nobody was there. We looked like zombies.”

    Awards were Saturday, with students placing in their categories advancing to state competition later this spring.