From Top Design to Teen Times

In the current issue of Teen Times alumni and former senior style editor for Martha Stewart Living, Eddie Ross, describes going from FACS student to building his dream job. Eddie’s blog, http://www.eddieross.com/ is a great resource for anyone needing inspiration.

Check out his response to the Teen Times feature . Be sure to read the comments from friends and fans too! http://www.eddieross.com/eddie_ross/2009/01/words----------words--------words.html#comments

CTSO's and the Obama Presidential Transition Team

In late December, Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) executive directors had an opportunity to meet with the Obama Presidential Transition Team (PTT) to discuss our policy issues of concern to the incoming administration. As a follow-up to that meeting, Executive Directors of the CTSOs formulated a policy letter with recommendations to the PTT:

• Recommended for the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Vocation of Adult Education position Dr. James R. Stone III, Executive Director of the National Center for Research in Career and Technical Education at the University of Louisville.


• Encouraged the Obama administration to support the important Career and Technical Education component of education reform by continuing to reinforce the relationship that historically has existed between administrations and the CTSOs.


• Encouraged the administration to sponsor a White House conference designed to bring national attention to the value of co-curricular student leadership activities in our nation’s schools.

In addition, we submitted to the PTT a statement regarding “Civic Engagement Post Inauguration.” We welcome your ideas on service learning and civic engagement.

More information is available online at www.fcclainc.org or contact Michael L. Benjamin at mbenjamin@fcclainc.org.

Cash for College!

It’s only January, but graduation seems just around the corner to most seniors. Below is an amazing scholarship opportunity from Johnson and Wales University. Maybe one of your students will be one of the deserved recipients.

Urge seniors to complete a Leaders at Work project and apply for the 2009 J.W. Gaebe Entrepreneurial Scholarship, worth up to $20,000 for programs in Business, Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Technology. There are four (4) scholarships available.

More information is available on the Scholarship Applications page at http://www.fcclainc.org/content/scholarships-applications/.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2009. I hope it will be full of exciting adventures and good memories. Many of you will be closing out the first semester in a couple of weeks. Some have already finished are beginning the second half of the school year now. This is a perfect time to think about additional recruitment activities.

Membership recruitment should happen all year round. You may have new faces in your classrooms or new students in your school system. This is a great time to include students in FCCLA activities so new members can be prepared to jump in next fall. Maybe you already have a great spring recruitment plan. If so, share your idea in the comments section. If not, use the Be Part of It! kit with your current members and officers to develop a plan for expanding your chapter