Missouri FCCLA VIP - Beverly Plymell

This week's Missouri FCCLA Advisor VIP is Beverly Plymell, from Keytesville Junior/Senior High School.  In her 33rd year of advising, Ms. Plymell sponsors two FCCLA chapters - a junior high and a senior high.  Each chapter has their own activities  - from hosting concession stands, Veteran's Day programs (this was the 25th year), STAR Events, FCCLA conferences, community service projects, RACE into Reading, blood drives, and FCCLA week activities. 

One of the largest activities the two chapters join together for is the area Relay for Life event for the American Cancer Society.  This year was the second time that the two chapters chaired the county committee because if they wouldn't have, the event may not have taken place - no adults were stepping up to take leadership.  This wouldn't have happened with the leadership of Ms. Plymell.

Ms. Plymell is also one of Missouri's "STAR Events experts"  just ask anyone in her region or even the state advisor, and they'll agree!  She was on the state planning committee that first organized STAR Events for the state.

As if she wasn't busy enough with her teaching and FCCLA duties, she also coordinates the Region 3 website.  She's a busy lady!

Congratulations Beverly Plymell, you're a Missouri FCCLA Advisor VIP!

Missouri FCCLA VIP - Kathy Watkins

This week's Missouri FCCLA Advisor VIP is Kathy Watkins from Bell City High School!  Kathy is in her 3rd year of advising.  The person nominating Kathy for this recognition had this to say:

Kathy Watkins from Bell City High School, has many unique talents that she utilizes as an FCCLA advisor.  Kathy advises three regional officers this year.  Kathy taught in elementary school for several years before moving to the high school as a family and consumer sciences teacher.  Recently the Bell City FCCLA chapter presented a project to preschool children where members taught songs to the children while Kathy played the guitar.  Kathy combines her teaching skills with her musical ability to teach children of all ages. 

Congratulations, Kathy!  You're a Missouri FCCLA Advisor VIP!

A Decade of Missouri FCCLA - Part II - State Leadership Conferences

Each year, Missouri FCCLA puts together a state leadership conference for members and advisors.  We've been fortunate to have such great support from our state membership, so much that the conference has consistently grown in attendance each year!  Here's a review of the conference logos from 2000-2009:

 Each of these conferences were held in the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center in Columbia, Missouri.  Each has their own unique memories - the skits, the speakers, or the workshops.  But for each conference, the officers that year did their best to make it a memorable event for members.  Each conference built upon the strengths of the one before. 

Now we're looking forward to the first conference of a new decade - the 2010 State Leadership Conference.  We hope many of you will be there to help us "Discover the Magic of Leadership!"

Chapter Spotlight: South Shelby FCCLA

This post was submitted by Paige Dimmitt, Region 3 State Vice President. 

It is time to get ready for the season of giving and that is just what the South Shelby FCCLA chapter is doing. The chapter started the season out right by holding their annual Breakfast with Santa. Every year as a service project, the South Shelby FCCLA invites families in their community out for a free breakfast, an opportunity to make all kinds of Christmas crafts, and have a visit with the big man himself, Santa Claus. The chapter sets up many Christmas crafts including ornaments, magnets, bracelets, and even some edible crafts for the children to make. The parents love watching their kids make crafts while they enjoy their free pancakes and sausage. The chapter even has a local photographer come to take the children’s pictures with Santa. There is always a wonderful turnout and the children look forward to Breakfast with Santa every year. The members love getting to work with the kids and see their smiling faces. This is one of the chapters biggest service projects of the year and if you don’t have something like Breakfast with Santa in your hometown I would recommended trying it!

Where Was Your T-shirt Made?

Quick - without looking - where was your shirt manufactured?  You might need to have some help from someone else (I couldn't see my own tag-Jamie tells me it's Indonesia) but odds are it was not made in the United States.  Have you ever done this activity with your students - check out their clothing labels and then discuss the global path their t-shirt likely made before it ended up in a local store?  How about plotting those locations on Google Maps or in Google Earth?  (There are many other possibilities for an activity such as this - discussing the working conditions in those countries, economic policies, etc.)

Were you aware of the the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA)?  This Act requires that manufacturers of children's products (generally for children ages 12 and younger) must place permanent marks on their products manufactured after August 14, 2009.  On Twitter this week, I favorited a tweet from @SuzanneWhisler about the TrackMyT website.  While the website is designed with lesson plans for children ages 6-10, there is so much good information here for older students as well.  How many students really know the journey from a cotton seed to a t-shirt? 

This site lets student type in a unique lot number from their t-shirt to see if they can track it (it may only work with youth styles from the creator of the website, Anvil Knitwear, Inc.,) or they can choose to track a random t-shirt.

This might be a good way to get students thinking beyond just being a consumer of clothing.  Students might be able to use this information to prepare an Illustrated Talk about the issue of clothing and consumerism.  Have fun with TrackMyT! 

Missouri FCCLA VIP - Cathy Boyd

Congrats to Cathy Boyd!  She's been nominated as the very first Missouri FCCLA Advisor VIP - Very Important Person.  The person nominating Cathy had this to say: 

Many advisors in Region 6 deserve recognition but one that deserves an extra pat on the back is Cathy Boyd from Jackson High School.  Cathy has several regional officers and above that has taken responsibility for getting the bus to go to Cluster Meetings for the past several years.  She helps out with every regional conference and workshop, regardless whether her student plays a critical role in the event.  Thanks for what you do, Cathy!

THANK YOU, Cathy Boyd!  You are a Missouri FCCLA VIP!

A Decade of Missouri FCCLA - Part 1 - State Officers

The 2009-10 State Executive Council met earlier this week to finalize plans for the 2010 State Leadership Conference. It's hard to believe that in just 14 weeks these officers will be on stage performing skits and leading the conference. And I find myself shaking my head that 2010 will soon be here, and with it, the end of a decade. In 2010, FCCLA will be 65 years young, and in 2011, Missouri FCCLA celebrates our 65th birthday. Wow!

With that in mind, over the next few weeks, I'll be posting some memories of the past 10 years of FCCLA (complete with pictures as I have them.) The post today is about the state officers from the past 1o years. I've had the honor of being the state advisor since 1994, and I have met some simply amazing teen leaders in those 15 years. Do you recognize any of them? What memories do you have of the past 10 years?

New Feature - Missouri FCCLA Advisor VIP

  A new feature on the Missouri FCCLA blog is our Advisor VIP - Very Important Person!  We want to recognize advisors who make it possible for students to be part of The Ultimate Leadership Experience.  Without chapter advisors to provide a structure for student leadership, Missouri FCCLA couldn't exist!  Want to see a certain advisor showcased as a Missouri FCCLA VIP?  Submit a short paragraph telling us why that advisor is a VIP - just e-mail your recommendation to the Missouri FCCLA State Advisor.  Each week we'll add a new advisor to this list. 

A sincere thanks to every Missouri FCCLA Advisor for making Missouri FCCLA such a great experience for so many students.  You are all VIPs!

This feature will be posted each Wednesday....check back in tomorrow to see who our first VIP will be!

Chapter Spotlight: Chillicothe FCCLA

This post submitted by Whitney Jordan, Region 2 State Vice President.

The Chillicothe FCCLA Chapter does a project each year in December called "Christmas Kisses". We sell Christmas cards with Hershey Hugs or Kisses.   During lunch we set up a stand for students to purchase the Christmas Kisses.  We sell a card plus one candy cane for $0.50.   A card plus one kiss or hug is $0.55. A card plus 2 kisses or hugs is $0.60  and so on, adding 5 cents for each kiss or hug.

A similar project could be done with other holidays as well - these projects help raise a little money and provide some fun, too.

Chapter Spotlight: Walnut Grove FCCLA's "Share Your Christmas"

This post submitted by Debra Price, Chapter Advisor and FCS Teacher, Walnut Grove High School. To see more about what Walnut Grove FCCLA does throughout the year, check out their blog.

Have you ever planned a project and had more of a response than you ever thought possible? That’s what happened last month for the Walnut Grove FCCLA Chapter. Our FCCLA chapter sponsored the first annual Share Your Christmas Food Drive for students in preschool through grade 12. When students started planning, they never imagined how involved people would get.

After 7 days of collecting foods, the chapter ended up with more than 4200 items to put together food baskets for local families. The fifth grade and senior classes were the winners of the pizza party reward for bringing in the most items.

The collection didn’t end there. While the food was being counted and sorted, students went door to door and picked up community donations of food items. This collection brought in another 600 items to our food drive. On Friday, FCCLA members sorted the canned and boxed food into 31 families that are being helped by the Share Your Christmas program from the Walnut Grove community.

The second part of this project involved a Change Day. The Change Day is a more than 20 year tradition in Walnut Grove. Students bring in unrolled change for teachers to roll and count. As long as the teachers have money to count, the students can watch movies and play games. This year Change Day raised $2440. This money is used to purchase gifts for the 76 children involved in our Share Your Christmas project. Members helped roll change all day to help teachers on what seemed like a never-ending pile of change.

The Masonic Lodge and Wal-Mart donated another $5000 to be used for clothing, shoes, and coats for the children. Last week our chapter officers and 10 elementary teachers and students went shopping to buy gifts and clothing for the 76 children in our community. Groups were given names, sizes, and gift requests to shop for the children. All of this information is compiled by the elementary principal to ensure confidentiality. It was an awesome experience for our entire chapter. By partnering with the groups in our community we are able to ensure that 76 children and teens in our community will have not only a bright Christmas but also food to fill their cabinets.

Chapter Spotlight: North Andrew FCCLA

This post submitted by Courtney Gillenwater, Region 1 State Vice President

FCCLA chapters are known for their community service projects, and our North Andrew FCCLA chapter is no exception. Our Secret Grandparent program reflects the 5th FCCLA purpose, to promote a better understand of youth and adults. Chapter members sign up for a "Secret Grandparent" and a note is sent to one of the older community members notifying them they have a secret grandson or granddaughter from the North Andrew FCCLA chapter, and if they would like to still participate. Most of the people in our community enjoy this program and enjoy getting to know a high school student better. The "grandparents" go to ball games, plays, and anything that their secret grandchild might be involved in to try to find out whom their grandchild is.

Every holiday the grandchild is to get their secret grandparent something - a meal, stocking, blanket, anything to go with the season. Students will then have their gifts delivered and some of the grandparents even gets gifts for their grandchild. Students fill out cards with little hints and the grandparents try to guess who their grandchildren are, all throughout the year.

About a month before school lets out, all of the FCCLA members who are participating in this event have a tea with the secret grandparents. The grandparents take guesses to see who their grandchild was throughout the year. This event usually has a theme with a speaker, snacks, and an activity. Both the students and the grandparents look forward to this throughout the year.