Haxtun BOE hears from Kelley about FACS & FCCLA

FACS teacher and FCCLA adviser Holly Kelley presented to the Haxtun Board of Education in a mid-July meeting. The meeting was the first for new Superintendent Aron Jones and while short, contained a wealth of information and several staff appointments before school starts in less than a month.

Kelly gave the Board an overview of both her Family and Consumer Science clases and the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America club she oversees throughout the year.

As for FACS, Kelley said her program includes three areas: education, hospitality and food production and interior and fashion design. Those areas break down into seven classes with a focus on leadership development and work-based learning opportunities for students. One of her key classes is the Teacher Cadet course, which is a prerequisite for the education program and provides concurrent enrollment options with Northeastern Junior College.

Work-based learning, Kelley noted, gives students hands on experience through various projects including working the concession stand, baking for school events and community service projects like making blankets to donate.

To teach such classes, Kelley must maintain a Career and Technical Education instructor license. Kelley holds the following credentials: CTE FACS Core, CTE Family and Consumer and Early Childhood Services, CTE Hospitality and Tourism; CTE Visual and Design Arts and Family and Consumer Sciences Education. Kelley also actively participates in professional devilment opportunities, including national and state conferences and coordinates the Perkins grant, which supports CTE programs at Haxtun.

On the FCCLA side of things, students involved in the Club at Haxtun are involved in a number of key activities including making new teacher gifts, organizing and participating in FCCLA week activities, competing in STAR events (Students Taking Action with Recognition) and hosting district and state conferences. Several students have recently qualified for National events.

Board members also received an overview of Nationals for the Future Business Leaders of American and summer camps hosted by Junior High Science Teacher Haley Edwards.

FBLA Adviser McCall Etl took 16 students to Nationals at the end of June. Although the students did not make it into the finals, Etl said they all performed well against tough competition, some facing over 100 teams in each event.

Aside from competing at Nationals in Florida, the group visited Disney World and Universal Studios and interacted with other Colorado schools. The trip also provided them an opportunity to gain experiences like modes of transportation through the city.

Throughout June and July, Edwards hosted two sessions of Talented Tinkering Summer Camps. The first session, in June, held a morning class for students in kindergarten through second grade and an afternoon class for third through fifth graders. The students engineered bandages and designed rescue shuttles.

In July, a morning class of third through fifth graders designed rescue shuttles and an afternoon class of sixth through eighth graders engineered safety helmets.

A total of 17 students attended the camps. Each session ended with a family night where student showcased their projects and practiced presentations. Each family night included a meal for the family.

The Talented Tinkering camps were made possible with grant funds secured by Paula McGuire with Northeast BOCES. The funds provided curriculum and kits necessary to offering ongoing engineering science camps to Haxtun and surrounding schools.

Before the end of the less than an hour-long July meeting, board members approved Genisus Gonzales as a part-tine preschool paraprofessional and Havilah Andersen as a substitute teacher.

The BOE also approved the purchase of a food service freezer for $28,176.