The Ord FCCLA Chapter recently attended the Nebraska State FCCLA Leadership Conference on March 29th-31st, 2026, in Lincoln, Nebraska. At the conference, Ord had 26 students in attendance. Over 100 Nebraska FCCLA Chapters were in attendance with over 1,500 student members. FCCLA stands for Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America and is a national student-led organization that focuses on career readiness and leadership development skills. The state theme for the conference this school year was “Flourish with Purpose,” highlight how FCCLA members can flourish in their families, communities, and careers through their involvement in their chapter.
On Monday of the conference, all 26 students had the opportunity to compete in STAR Projects at the State Level. STAR stands for Students Taking Action with Recognition. The students who participated in STAR Projects have been diligently working on their projects for months, and their hard work has paid off. At the state level, students who participate in STAR Projects have the opportunity to compete for a spot to present and compete at the National FCCLA Leadership Conference this summer in Washington DC. Our chapter qualified 23 of our participants in STAR Projects for the National Leadership Conference this summer.
In March, our chapter also found out that we had an additional group of students who qualified in Online STAR Event Projects for the National Leadership Conference as well, bringing our total number of nationally qualifying students to 24 students, which is the most students the Ord FCCLA Chapter has qualified in chapter history.
To qualify for Nationals in the regular STAR Event Projects at the state level, students must receive at least a silver medal and be champion or runner-up in their event and level. In the Online STAR Event Projects, students submit an online link to their project for evaluation and are judged against every chapter in the United States. The top 15 projects in the nation are then invited and qualify to present at the National Leadership Conference.
The students who qualified and participated in STAR projects this year include the following:
SKILLS DEMO EVENTS
Natalie Lytle- Technology in Teaching - Level 3- State Champion
Macyn Johnson- Toys that Teach- Level 2- 3rd Place
STATE STAR RESULTS
Carmen Wagner & Alyssa Lawrence- Chapter in Review Display- Level 3- Gold- State Champion- NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Macy Sitz & Ella Deden- Entrepreneurship- Level 2- Gold- State Champion- NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Chloe Petska & Rori Piskorski- Entrepreneurship- Level 1- Gold- Runner Up - NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Maci Bloom & Alexis Bloom- Event Management- Level 2- Silver- Runner Up - NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Daisy Shafer & Kinley Proskocil- Hospitality, Tourism & Recreation- Level 2- Gold- State Champion- NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Raena Lansman & Molly Bauer- Hospitality, Tourism & Recreation- Level 1- Gold- Runner-Up - NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Brooklynn Wagner & Claire Petska- Interior Design- Level 2- Silver
Brinley Snyder & Evie Weber- Interior Design- Level 1- Gold- State Champion- NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Natalie Lytle- Leadership- Level 3- Silver- 3rd- NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Halle Woolsey- Leadership- Level 2- Gold- Runner-Up - NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Katrina Cassell- Personal Finance- Level 3- Gold- State Champion- NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Koebin Edghill & Preston Winer- Professional Presentation- Level 1- Gold- State Champion- NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Mya Beland & Krissy Linder- Repurpose & Redesign- Level 3- Gold- Runner-Up- NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Emerson Yantzie- Say Yes to FCS- Level 2- Gold- Runner-Up State Champion- NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Skylar Kokes- Teach or Train- Level 3- Silver- 3rd Place- NATIONAL QUALIFIER
At the conference, our chapter was also recognized for increasing membership for this school year. Additionally, seniors Carmen Wagner and Alyssa Lawrence were recognized for their membership recruitment efforts through the Nebraska FCCLA Membership Recruiter Award. Our chapter also received a “Gold Chapter Award” for our commitment to providing opportunities for student members to be involved in community events, leadership development, and career-related activities. Additionally, our chapter was recognized for participating in the Feed Nebraska program through our annual school-wide food drive, and our chapter was recognized for participating in three National FCCLA Programs- Community Service, Financial Fitness, and Career Connections. Our project for the National Program “Financial Fitness” was selected for the Nebraska National Program award, and our application will now be forwarded on to the National Level. Our chapter also nominated OHS Guidance Counselor, Lana Kruml, for the Nebraska Honorary Membership Award, for which she received recognition on Sunday evening at the opening ceremony.
Our senior chapter members also applied for several individual awards and received the following recognition for their efforts through FCCLA.
Alyssa Lawrence: Power of One, A Day in Your Future
Carmen Wagner: Power of One, A Day in Your Future, Say Yes to FCS Signing
Skylar Kokes: A Day in Your Future, Say Yes to FCS Signing
On Tuesday of the conference, members Maci Bloom, Alexis Bloom, Alyssa Lawrence, and Carmen Wagner competed in a culinary competition that was sponsored by Nebraska Farm to Table called “Innovate the Plate.” For this program, students had to develop, test, and prepare an innovative recipe using beans as the base ingredient. Our students developed two different appetizer recipes and prepared a display as well as their product for judges to evaluate at the state leadership conference.
Part of FCCLA’s focus is on developing leaders for the next generation. We are proud to announce that Mya Beland has been selected to serve as the Nebraska State Peer Officer Team (SPOT) Family Leader Secretary for the 2026-2027 school year. Through this leadership experience, Mya will have the opportunity to present information about the Families First and Stand-Up National FCCLA program to chapters across our state, particiate in leadership development workshops, and represent our chapter and community at the state level.
The Ord FCCLA Chapter is so excited for our 24 National Qualifiers to again make history for the Ord FCCLA Chapter and community, and will be preparing to attend the National Leadership Conference in July, hosted in Washington DC. Through FCCLA, students learn vital skills such as teamwork, leadership, communication, public speaking, problem-solving, critical thinking and the value of hard work. Our students who participate in FCCLA will become better leaders in their families, community, future careers, and school through their involvement in FCCLA activities. To prepare to attend the conference, students will be fundraising throughout the next few months. Our chapter is also seeking out in-kind donations and sponsorships of any value to help our student members have the opportunity to attend and compete at the National Leadership Conference. In return for helping sponsor our student leaders in our community, your business or organization name will be recognized through our social media platforms and on our National Qualifier T-shirts. To keep up to date on all things related to Ord FCCLA, please follow our Facebook page “Ord Public Schools FCCLA Chapter.” For more information about how you or your business can help our local FCCLA Chapter, please contact Rachel Hornickel at rhornickel@ordps.org.
Back Row (L-R): Rachel Hornickel, Natalie Lytle, Katrina Cassell, Alexis Bloom, Carmen Wagner, Macyn Johnson, Alyssa Lawrence, Halle Woolsey, Skylar Kokes, Maci Bloom, Mya Beland, Krissy Linder
Middle Row (L-R): Kinley Proskocil, Emerson Yantzie, Macy Sitz, Brooklynn Wagner, Daisy Shafer, Claire Petska, Ella Deden, Evelyn Weber
Front Row (L-R): Preston Winer, Koebin Edghill, Aurora Piskorski, Chloe Petska, Raena Lansman
Not Pictured: Brinley Snyder and Molly Bauer