Students excel in the FCCLA club

When Aiken High's Kaylee Heath joined the Family Career and Communications Leaders of America (FCCLA) club as a sophomore last year, it seemed a natural extension of her culinary arts class.

Another then-sophomore, Alexis Brewe, decided to try the club on a whim. Now they have emerged as leaders of the program.

After winning a state FCCLA competition in life-event planning as a team last March, they earned a trip to the nationals in Chicago in July. Heath and Brewe took first place there, too, scoring 97 of a possible 100 points.

"They are amazing," said Jean Gorthy, the culinary arts teacher who advises FCCLA with early childhood instructor Linda Harmon. "This has really unleashed their ability and the FCCLA students who participated in the competitions. Their project was beautifully done."

Brewe and Heath chose as their project the process of preparing for a prom. Brewe handled the writing aspect, and her friend took on the creativity side in the production of portfolios, a manual, posters and a speech given during the presentation. They visited shops to look for the best combinations of bargains and quality. Gorthy said they had papers spread out on the flight to Chicago, tinkering with the speech.

"We made it fun," Heath said of the project. "Prom-shopping is hectic and stressful, and you have to make sure these are prices you can afford. During the presentations, we wanted to show our personalities, who we are."

Brewe is now taking Gorthy's food and nutrition class and is looking at a possible career in nutrition or a related field. Now in her second year in culinary arts, Heath said that experience has brought back a lot of memories.

"I have a passion for cooking that I got from my grandmother, Sandra Gray," Heath said. "I spent a lot of time with her, and we would cook nonstop, including a lot of pound cakes. She's really proud of me."

FCCLA promotes growth and leadership development, and that's already apparent from Brewe and Heath. During a faculty meeting at Aiken High on Tuesday, they told teachers about "Green Hornets Go Green." For the past two years, FCCLA members have worked on a trash pickup program to beautify the school. They call it "Adopt a Hallway" and are asking the teachers to support additional participation in the program.

"We want to get all the student organizations involved and want students to take pride in our school," Brewe said. "It was surprising to realize how dirty the school was. We hope this will create awareness because the way our school looks reflects on us as students."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.