STAR Event HELP!

By Cathe Felz, National Consultant Team

I have been thinking a lot about STAR Events and National Program applications this last month, as I am sure many of you have as well. It seems that once the year starts and the hustle and bustle of getting things started ends, it is time to start putting everything together for state competitions in STAR Events. This year, in particular, I feel a bit overwhelmed. In evaluating what needs to be done in the next month, my calendar is packed with STAR Event work nights, basketball tournaments, teacher meetings and community activities. I am wondering where all the time went and exactly what we accomplished this year.

For our chapter the hardest challenge is pulling all the activities we have held throughout the year together into finalized projects. My FCCLA members are stressed with science fair, Academic Olympics and other extra-curricular activities and many start considering just not finishing their projects. The challenge I face is keeping them motivated to see the project through to the end. What sounded good in August now sounds like too much work to complete.  Every year students begin to lose their motivation to complete their projects. And the cloudy, cold, grey weather does not help with student or adviser motivation.

During FCCLA week, our chapter highlights one project each day.  This gives the students an opportunity to share what they have been working on with classmates and staff members. These activities also provide one more opportunity to educate their peers about various teen issues. An example of some of the activities we have done during lunch are set up a wii for students to participate in our distracted driving project, passed out bottled water when we were working on a project for Africa, or held a distracted driving scavenger hunt. Students who are not involved in FCCLA have a chance to participate in our projects, we take pictures and everyone involved learns a little bit about our projects.

Some students complete their events in the classroom.  For example, the fashion design class is studying color so students tie dyed cotton pillowcases to learn how to mix colors, then made pillowcase dresses for Haiti out of the pillowcases. The students learned about color, Haiti and basic construction techniques. Students worked in groups to put together a manual about their project. Two of the girls will present the class project at the State Leadership Conference in March. Another example of a class completing a project together is the Healthy Hallways project the culinary arts class is working on to teach elementary students about the importance of fitness and good nutrition. They did an exercise assembly with elementary students, purchased pedometers for the elementary walking program and will be preparing nutritious snacks for elementary classrooms in January and February. Each participant receives a grade based on their participation during class.

What are some ways you help motivate your students to complete projects and compete in STAR Events?