On December 9th, FCCLA hosted the first annual ‘Miss FCCLA Christmas Pageant’ to raise money for club competitions and trips.
Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a national organization that concentrates on providing students with experiences, volunteer opportunities, leadership talents, and career-ready skills. The Hooks FCCLA chapter was established in 2022 and is advised by Mrs. Crystal Leiva and Ms. Amber Pipes. Last year, FCCLA hosted statewide conferences, allowing students to attend panels and leadership workshops as well as compete in niche events. These events included sports nutrition, culinary math, interior design, event management, and more.
This school year, Mackenzie Butler, Hailee Hill, and Harley Davis are competing in event management. The competition requires them to arrange an event for the public that is profitable and has at least 75 attendees. In February they will present their event to a panel of judges.
“We decided to do a pageant because we knew it was a big money maker,” Pageant Coordinator Mackenzie Butler explained.
The students began pageant preparation as early as September by contacting pageant moms and officials, so they could better understand the logistics of efficient pageant planning. The group had to lock down the age divisions and categories to win. They decide on the following age divisions: Baby, Tiny, Petite, Little, Young, Junior, Teen, and Miss.
“We did People’s Choice for the older two categories. The attendants could put money in each girl’s bucket and the bucket with the most money won people’s choice for their age division,” Butler said. “We raised roughly $300 from this alone.”
The pageant hosted 34 participants from 3 months to 12th grade. Judges scored participants on their beauty, fit, style of clothing, personality, and overall appearance. The judges were: Laurie Helms Smith, Lisa Tullis, and Jamie O’Rand Stone.
“This was our most successful fundraiser. We made over a thousand dollars in profit,” Butler exclaimed. “There were zero expenses since sponsors covered everything.”
