As COVID-19 precautions loosen and school events start taking place again, most FCCLA members are preparing for their upcoming state conference. On March 8, twelve of FCCLA’s members will leave for Reno and work on developing their skill sets in-person.

“Last year it was virtual and was pretty anticlimactic and the year before [2020], we were on our last out-of-town field trip before the school district sent us all home. After having it online last year, I don’t believe there was ever a plan to hold it virtually ever again,” FCCLA Adviser Shannon Sheldon said. “So, this year is in person and it will likely look very much like 2020. We ride up on a bus with another school or two, it takes most of the day, then when we get off the bus, we hit the ground running. Meetings, workshops, competitions. We do a lot of fun events as a chapter. We usually have a great time.”

There are extra COVID-19 precautions in place, including non-vaccinated students having to be tested and their parents agreeing that if they test positive while away, they have to be quarantined. However, traveling in current COVID-19 conditions is still stressful for Sheldon and other chaperones. 

“Obviously, taking students out of the city is always nerve-wracking, but Ms. Sheldon has years of experience taking students to state and national conferences,” Fashion Design teacher and chaperone Levi Harbeson said. “The current COVID-19 positivity rate is down in Clark County, but slightly higher in Washoe County, so that’s a little concerning, but our students are responsible and able to make their own decisions concerning their personal health and comfort levels.” 

As a former FCCLA member himself, Harbeson understands how influential these conferences and events can be. 

“The students attending FCCLA State Conference are going to have a fantastic time. They are going to compete, make new friends and memories and learn exciting new ways to improve their leadership abilities,” Harbeson said. “To put it in TikTok terms, they are going to make ‘Core Memories.’ Some of my best moments of high school were competing and making friends at FCCLA conferences, and I know the Southwest FCCLA Students will experience those same things. The energy, creativity, and leadership on display at State are always electrifying.” 

Harbeson will also have the opportunity to be there for some of his own fashion design students, including senior Brooke Young. 

“I am really excited to go to state, especially since the last time I was in person, it was right before COVID,” Young said. “In the past years I have done something to challenge myself in the Fashion Construction events, so this year I am excited to make something new and use the new skills I have learned in my Pattern Drafting class with Mr. Harbeson. He is my favorite teacher and inspiration when it comes to my fashion designs. It will definitely make me feel better having him around to talk me through some of what I have to do.”

While some seniors like Young have already attended an in-person state conference and have competed in their events multiple times, this is a new experience for most of the other members. Junior Karim Abd-Elmalek, who attended the virtual FCCLA conference last year, has found that the in-person event has brought a new level of challenges.

“Last year, I attended the virtual FCCLA state conference, and even though it was a great opportunity that has helped my skill sets, I am still nervous about doing it all right there with the judges,” Abd-Elmalek said. “I am confident in what I can create and present, but just like online school, it is all the more difficult to not do it through a Chromebook. I am just anxious about what could go wrong in Reno and how far I am traveling to compete.”

Although some students are anxious about competing in-person, past events like this have proven to help teach them valuable life skills and in the future.

“Each year I attend the FCCLA State conference, it not only allows me to challenge personal skills and communication within my presentation and other members but completing my project allows me to expand my skillset within fashion construction and helps me build the portfolio that I send to colleges,” Young said. “The skills I have learned, and am still learning, at these conferences gives me hope in my abilities and what I can do in my future career field.”